


The Art of your Body

by SupercatFanatic



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: (just to give a tiny bit of depth to it), Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cat Grant is a secret softie, F/F, Fluff, Genius student!Lena, SuperCorp, University AU, artist!kara, body painting, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24010456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupercatFanatic/pseuds/SupercatFanatic
Summary: Kara Danvers has an assignment, she has to paint someone's personality for Catherine Grant and what best way to do it than with body painting? Now she only needs someone ready to have her body painted, enters Lena Luthor, lacking any social life and ready to try something new.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 72
Kudos: 368





	1. The Assignment

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I hope all of you are doing well despite the weird circumstances! 
> 
> I had this idea a few months ago and never finished writing it before. I have to put a slight disclaimer, I don't really know how body painting works apart from a reality show about it I watched, and I also don't know much about the US University System apart from the fact that it's expensive and very different from France. 
> 
> That being said, I hope you'll like it, it's light and I thought it would be great in these trying times! As always, English is not my first language and I don't have anyone correcting my mistakes so I apologize in advance if there is any. 
> 
> Enjoy the first chapter and don't forget to tell me if you liked it!

Kara was sitting in her usual spot on the second row, waiting expectantly for her teacher to come in. Cat Grant was always on time and expected her students to be ten minutes early. Those who didn’t know her would be chastised for arriving just on time on the first class but Kara wasn’t one of them. She had worked under Cat’s supervision for a year already, even though she really wasn’t sure how she got so lucky. 

Catherine Grant was one of the most famous painter in the country, building her reputation with pieces that depicted the horrors of the world they lived in. She had painted war situations, homelessness and illnesses. She wasn’t known for painting beauty or happiness contrary to Kara, who could only see the positive side of life and it was why everyone had been shocked when the older artist had come to Kara after an exhibition at University and asked her if she wanted to be her apprentice.

Kara would have been a fool to refuse, she had admired the woman her entire life and though she was demanding, she had discovered that working with and for Cat was very rewarding and she couldn’t be more excited to have her as her teacher for the first time. 

That’s why she was sitting in the classroom, pretty much alone except for a few students who had probably heard about the teacher’s reputation. She had left a streaming hot cup of coffee on the desk, knowing that Cat would need it and hoped it would still be hot enough when she arrived. 

Fortunately Miss Grant arrived earlier than she would normally do since it was the first class of the semester. She entered the room in her tight dark blue pencil skirt and her white blouse, high heels on her feet, as usual (unless she was painting). She barely gave the room a look-over, going straight for the cup of coffee on her desk. She nodded curtly at Kara to thank her quietly and sighed when she took a sip before pulling her papers out of the bag. 

The class filled quickly, and in less than ten minutes the teacher was ready to start, a sharp look on her face. All students were quiet, a sign of the fear she inspired, she liked it.

"Good morning class!"

There were a few voices that answered her but she didn’t pay them any mind. 

"My name is Catherine Grant, I’ll be your journalistic painting teacher for the semester. For those who have heard about me, I’m much worse than the rumors, and for those who didn’t, you’re going to hate me."

Kara was trying to hide her smile, she loved how she could control a room so efficiently but Kara knew her and had experienced the softer side of the woman which made it very funny for her to watch as the student started shaking in their boots. 

"I will be very demanding and I will not settle for mediocrity. You have been admitted in this class because you have the potential to pass so prove me I was right. I expect everyone to be ten minutes early for each class so you’re done with your chit-chat before I step in." 

She threw a pointed look at her students, especially to the ones who arrived right on time before turning on the video projector. A slide appeared with the examination modalities on it. 

"You will of course be tested on your knowledges at the end of the semester but it will only count for twenty percent of your final grade. I’m trying something new this year. I’m going to give you an assignment. It will be a difficult project and I expect of you to put a lot of thoughts into it."

She changed the slide and one of her painting appeared. 

"This is the first work I did that wasn’t a hundred percent realistic and I want you to do the same. At the end of the year I want you to present to me a painting that will represent someone’s personality by whichever means you want as long as it’s with paint."

There were low murmurs coming out of perplexed students and even Kara was a bit surprised by the difficulty of the assignment. She saw someone raise her hand and felt sorry for the person who would question her teacher. 

"Mrs. Grant, how does that fit in the journalism class?"

Kara flinched at the choice of words and sighed, waiting for the older woman to assassinate him with words. 

"Thank you for asking such an idiotic question. If you had read the file I sent you prior to this class, you would have known that I intend to teach you about how to paint reality but journalism is much more than that. It’s about understanding a situation and interpreting it to paint it in a way that will convey informations to the public. I want you to get this ability to paint something complex in a simple way. I want to be able to understand your subject without knowing them."

All the students seemed a bit scared by the project and Kara couldn’t blame them, even she was a bit nervous about it. 

"And one last thing, if you call me Mrs. Grant one more time I’ll swear to you that your assignment will be the last of your worries."

He nodded, his face white as he looked at the notebook in front of him. Well, this semester would be interesting. Kara opened her notebook as she listened to her mentor continuing her class, already thinking about what she could pull off to impress the older woman.

***

Two hours later, her notebook was full of notes and doodles. She respected Cat but the first class was about things Kara already knew because she had been working with her for some time. She waited until most of the students left the classroom, only a few staying at the end to ask questions about the class, and made her way towards the desk. 

"Ah, Keira, I was expecting you. You have next period free, right?"

Kara nodded, smiling at the fact that Cat had remembered her schedule. 

"Walk with me then, I have an appointment on the other side of the faculty."

They exited the classroom, the younger blonde following the power walk of her mentor. 

"I suspect you already have an idea for your assignment?"

There was a soft humming from Kara.

"Well then, tell me about it, I don’t have all day."

"I was thinking of doing body painting, I know that it’s unusual and you’re not a big fan of it but I think it would make sense, given the assignment."

Cat Grant was indeed not a fan of modern art but she also knew that Kara had magical hands and a very peculiar style of painting fueled by her emotions. 

"It suits you and we’ve already worked on this before, haven’t we?"

Kara smiled shyly and looked at Cat’s face. 

"It’s fine by me, but you should know I will be extra demanding with you because I know what you’re capable of."

The blonde chuckled as Cat entered her office. 

"I wouldn’t have it any other way, Miss Grant."

*****

Kara was sitting on the couch of her shared apartment with her sister, staring at the blank page in front of her as she sighed for the tenth time in fifteen minutes. 

"Oh come on, Kar’, it’s not that hard, it’s not like you’re asking for a kidney or something!"

The blonde glared at her very unhelping sister.

"It’s usually Cat who provides me with the models, I’m not used to do that."

"I know, but just write the basic stuff and ask them to come to the studio. If you write that the project is supervised by Cat Grant, people should trust you, right?"

"I suppose…"

Alex smiled and sat next to her sister, putting one arm around her shoulders. 

"Then write."

Kara frowned, a determined look on her face as she let her fingers dance on the keyboard. It took a few minutes but eventually she came up with something she liked. She printed it, excited to put the ad up the next morning. For the time being, she could just settle on the couch with Alex and fall asleep in front of Netflix. 

*****

Lena and Sam were walking out of their communication and management class, chatting about where they were going to eat when Lena noticed the new colorful paper on the advertisement board. She stopped in front of it, always curious to see what the students pulled off. She remembered one time when there was an ad from someone who was looking at three students to pretend to be cats for two days straight for an artistic project, or that time when a computer student had been looking for someone to cook for him for free while he finished his final assignent. 

Sam was by her side, ready to laugh at the poor student who thought someone would actually answer the advertisement. 

"Hi, I’m Kara Danvers and I’m an art student looking for a model (m/f) for body painting. At least twenty hours required. Project under the supervision of Catherine GRANT."

Lena hummed, looking at the infos at the bottom of the ad. It said to meet the student at her studio. 

"Body painting? Sounds a bit pervy to me…"

Lena looked at Sam who had a weird grimace on her face. 

"Well, it’s art, it doesn’t sound more pervy as you say, than nude modeling."

The tall brunette chuckled, "I keep forgetting that you actually love art."

"Cat Grant is very famous, I love her work. I didn’t know she was supervising students."

They walked away, Lena checking the time on her phone while Sam avoided the flow of students exiting the building. 

"Maybe it’s a very cute girl. You should do it, you need to make friends."

Lena rolled her eyes as she pushed the door from the marketing building, her friend right behind her. 

"I have friends, I have you."

"So you have one friend. You spend your days studying, it wouldn’t be so bad if you did something else for once…"

Sam was right, Lena’s social life was really sad but she liked it that way. She had Sam and she studied things she loved so really, she was fine; Though she knew that Sam wouldn’t let it go until she accepted. 

"I’ll think about it but I don’t know if I’m comfortable getting naked in front of someone I don’t know."

The answer seemed to content Sam because she dropped it, choosing to go back to safe territory. Even as her friend started rambling about their latest assignment Lena couldn’t shake the idea forming in her head to actually go and get her body painted… 

***

Kara was working on a sketch for her next piece at the studio when she heard a loud knocking at the door. She jumped a little, not expecting anyone so soon, Cat had gone home an hour ago to spend time with her son and Alex rarely visited her here… She stood up, stretching a little as she made her way to the door. 

Behind the door was a man with a smile that he probably thought was charming. He had a paper in his hand and Kara recognized it as one of the ad she had put up earlier this morning. 

"Hi! I’m Mike, I saw your ad?"

Kara smiled back, glad that someone had answered so quickly. She stepped aside, 

"Oh, uh sure! Nice to meet you, I’m Kara, come in."

****

"Oh my god, Alex, I swear I almost punched him in his stupid face!"

Alex snorted as she took a spoonful of ice cream from Kara’s bowl. 

"Kara Danvers resorting to violence, what did he do?"

"This… buffoon came to the studio because he knew me from an exhibition and had been trying to get my number. He didn’t even listen to me, he just flirted and he was terrible at it…"

Alex frowned a little. 

"Do you need me to break his knees?"

Kara shook her head, finishing her ice cream. She yanked Alex’s bowl from her hands and started digging into it. 

"Hey, that’s mine!"

"Well not anymore", she sighed dramatically and swallowed a spoonful of ice cream, "I just don’t know how I’m going to find someone to model for me…"

The older sister rolled her eyes as she went to the freezer to take more ice cream. 

"You put the advert up this morning, be a little bit patient."

"‘Cause patience is my best quality."

"You’re the worst. And you have a whole year to do this, so give yourself a little bit of time." 

"But what if I disappoint Miss Grant?"

"Kara, you are very talented and Miss Grant saw something in you, you’re going to pull this off, no matter what. I know you will."

Kara leaned back against her sister, sighing as she felt strong arms enveloping her in a hug. She was so grateful for Alex, she didn’t know how she would have survived without her. She closed her eyes and settled deeper in her big sister’s embrace, a few minutes later she was asleep and dreaming about paint and floating bodies. 

***

"Hey Lee’, you coming with me to the library?"

It was the last class of the day, it was almost six and Lena had a ton of stuff to do. The beginning of the semester had been rough since she was doing three master’s degrees at the same time but for a reason she couldn’t quite pinpoint, she had been out of it all day. Her mind was stuck on the idea of being painted and she cursed her lack of human contact and Sam for planting this ridiculous idea in her head… But she couldn’t help it, she had this weird sensation that the student was cute and fun and it was more than her gay self could handle. 

"Lena?"

"Mmh?"

Sam rolled her eyes at her friend and pushed her gently. 

"Okay, you’re not coming to the library with me. Just go home and sleep."

"No, no, I have a paper to write…"

The tall brunette shook her head with a soft smile on her lips. 

"Lena, you’ve been day dreaming since this morning, you obviously need to rest," she left a kiss on her cheek and started walking away, "I’ll see you tomorrow!"

Lena sighed, checking the time on her phone. It was still early and she decided that a little walk in town would help her get her ideas in order. She walked for an hour, earphones on, music covering the noise of the street. 

She didn’t know where she was going, she let her feet carry her and before she realized it, she was in front of Catherine Grant’s studio. It was an elegant building, with a glass front window through which you could see several paintings. She sighed at herself and decided to check the gallery while she was here, it had been a while since she had checked Miss Grant’s work. She pushed the door open and found a young man rearranging the flyers by the register. 

"Good evening, may I help you?"

Lena smiled, walking towards him. 

"I’m not sure…"

"Are you here to meet with someone?"

"Do you know if Kara Danvers works here?"

Lena hadn’t planned to actually meet up with the student, but being in here, with him asking what she was doing here… 

"Of course! She is in the back, you go through that door and then turn left. Her name is on the door."

"Uh, okay, thank you…"

The man smiled brightly. 

"Winn! If you need anything, just ask!"

She smiled back before tightening her hold on her bag’s strap, going through the door just as Winn had instructed her. There was a long hallway with several doors that she supposed were used for storage or workshop; Everything was white with barely any decorations except for a few framed articles that Lena recognized as the earlier front pages that Cat Grant covered with her art.   
She slowly walked, taking the time to observe each picture, each painting, until she reached the last door where a small wooden panel was hung with "Kara Danvers" painted on it. It was cute, floral and colorful, something that didn’t really match Cat Grant’s style. 

Lena sighed quietly and raised her hand, knocking lightly on the door. She waited a few seconds, not hearing anything on the other side of the door, when the handle moved. A second later, a young woman taller than her with blonde hair gathered in a side bun and paint on her cheek appeared in front of her. She had deep blue eyes and a small smile on her lips. The denim overalls she wore gave her an innocent look even though it displayed her strong arms that Lena couldn’t help but look at for longer than deemed appropriate… 

"Hi! Can I help you?"

Lena blushed, stopping her ogling. She smiled shyly and looked at Kara’s face. 

"I saw the ad, about the modeling?"

The look on the blonde’s face softened, as if it was possible, and she stepped aside to invite Lena in.

"I’m sorry about the mess, I was working on something for Cat. Let me clean this up…"

Kara started working around the room to get Lena somewhere to sit, she almost ran across the room to clean the table from paint and brushes. The brunette used this time to discreetly look around the room. There were dozens of canvas, some painted, some still blank. She noticed that the studio was sort of split in two parts, one was furnished with a high table and equally high stools. It was mostly covered in sketches and pencils and Lena found herself wondering how much time the girl spent in the room. 

On the other side was a large sink and three different easels. She really wanted to get a closer look but she felt like it was intruding. Kara was washing her hands in the sink and looking over at Lena, wondering what a beautiful girl like her was doing here. 

"You can look around if you want, there’s no secret project going on."

Kara chuckled at her choice of words, feeling silly. She dried her hands and went back to the table, organizing her sketches so the girl could sit and be comfortable. Lena was watching her half painted canvas with curiosity, a small frown on her face. She was trying to guess what the final work would be when Kara interrupted her. 

"Hum, you can sit down, I’m really sorry about all that…"

Lena smiled and shook her head. 

"Don’t worry, you’re an artist, I would have been worried if the room was clean."

"You would be surprised by Cat’s studio then."

Lena sat down, putting her elbows on the table as she looked at the blonde. 

"I’m Kara, by the way, Kara Danvers."

"Lena Luthor."

They shook hands, Kara’s hands were cold from the water and a bit rough from spending so much time holding brushes.

"You seem a bit tense, do you want something to drink? We have tea, coffee, juice and I think Winn keeps some coke hidden in the back of the fridge…"

"I’m fine thank you."

"Okay."

Kara sat down on the stool in front of the brunette.

"So, you want to model for me?"

"I’m not… I’m not sure actually. I’m sorry."

There was a soft chuckle and Lena felt herself blush, she felt stupid, coming here was a mistake. Kara could probably sense that she was about to leave because she looked at her kindly and spoke in a calm voice. 

"It’s alright don’t worry. There wasn’t much information on the ad anyway. How about I tell you a little bit more about what I’m looking for and then we can talk about what you think?"

"I suppose I have nothing to lose anyway…"

Kara nodded as she started playing with a pencil. 

"So, my assignment is to paint someone’s personality and I decided to do it with body painting because it’s the only canvas that made sense to me in this particular situation. So what I’m looking for is someone who’s willing to sit for several hours so I can get to know them. It will be a process and during these hours we’ll need to test the body’s reaction to paint, how they feel about exposing their body to me because well… Body painting happens on the body."

Lena chuckled at that and she started to feel a bit more at ease with the girl. 

"I know it’s a bit weird to bare yourself in front of a stranger, so I’ll also answer any questions thrown my way, I guess it would make it fair, right?" 

"I guess so, yeah."

"And of course the final design will be run by the model before painting because well, it’s their personality and their body. But also there’s my creativity that needs to match with the person and they need to be comfortable around me so yeah… It will require some time. Cat… Miss Grant, she said she could negotiate for some extra credit or monetary compensation."

Lena raised an eyebrow, looking skeptically at the blonde. 

"Really, the Cat Grant proposed to help a student this much? She’s not so hard after all…"

The blonde snorted cutely and waved her hand. 

"I doubt she would do that for anyone actually, I’m her apprentice so she is expecting a lot from me, which is why she wants me to get a serious model."

"I see, I didn’t know she took apprentices."

She noticed the slight blush on the painter’s face and it piqued her curiosity. 

"I’m the first one."

Lena understood that it wasn’t something that Kara wanted to discuss right now and she let it go, deciding that it wasn’t fair to try and learn more about the girl if she wasn’t going to open up herself.

"I don’t need the money nor the extra credit."

Kara raised her head at that, her mouth opened slightly as she took in the remark. 

"Does that mean you would like to try it out?"

"Well, I’m not the only one who needs to be okay with it. I suppose you have to like me at least a little bit, right?"

A soft laugh escaped Kara’s throat and Lena knew that she would be safe with her. 

"I’m sure we’ll get along just fine as long as you’re not here just to get into my pants."

Lena frowned as she wondered where it came from. 

"A guy came yesterday, it was awkward, he wasn’t here for the art."

"That’s… disgusting."

"It wasn’t great, but nothing too bad, though I have to ask… I know you weren’t sure about this but is there a reason why you came?"

Lena shrugged, it was uncharacteristic of her, she always knew how to answer a question. 

"I… I love art, and my best friend told me I needed a life outside of my studies so…"

"I see. Well, I don’t know if I can give you much of a life but there’s definitely a possibility for distraction."

"It’s more than enough."

Kara took a piece of paper and wrote her number on it, giving it to Lena. 

"Here’s my number. We can work around our schedule to meet. I would like to do once a week but if it’s too much we can make it work differently…"

"No, it’s fine by me, I think. It’s the beginning of the semester so I don’t have that much work for now."

"That’s great. Well, you have my number, so you can text me your schedule… I don’t want to keep you too late and I actually have something to finish for Cat."

Lena stood up quickly, embarrassed that she hadn’t seen the time fly. It was almost eight… 

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you from your work!"

"Don’t be ridiculous, I’m very grateful you answered the ad, I have a feeling that something great will come out of this!"

Lena couldn’t help but smile at the blonde’s positivity and overall brightness. 

"I’ll get out of your hair then, thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to, it’s probably not very interesting but you can stay here and look around. If you haven’t checked the gallery you definitely should!"

Lena thought about it for a second. She really wanted to stay a little bit more but she felt like it was too much too early and she actually had some work to do now that her mind would be free from modeling prospect.

"Maybe next time? I have some studying to do, but I’ll text you later with my timetable and when I’m free."

"Perfect! I’ll show you out, Winn has probably left now."

Kara walked Lena out in silence, guiding her to the front door, the smile never leaving her face. 

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Lena! If you have any more questions don’t hesitate to text or call, okay? And I’m here after school almost everyday if you want to see more art from Cat, I have some exclusive pieces that I’m allowed to show to trusted people."

Lena chuckled as she stepped out of the gallery. 

"Thanks, I might take you up on that offer." 

Kara watched as Lena walked away. She couldn’t stop smiling as she returned to her studio and it never changed while she painted for the next three hours. 

***

Kara arrived home at almost midnight. She could hear the faint sound of a movie playing in her sister’s room and smiled as she made her way towards the room. She knocked quietly on the door, worried that Alex had fallen asleep. 

"Come in."

She could hear the sleepiness in the brunette’s voice as she opened the door, walking to the bed and sitting on the other side of it. Alex pressed pause and turned on her side. 

"How was your day?"

"Great! I think I found a model for my assignment."

"See! Told you you would find someone!"

Kara hummed as she settled against the headboard. 

"Yeah, she’s nice, I think it will be great."

Alex smiled knowingly at the faint blush on her sister’s face.

"I bet she’s pretty too."

There was a string of incoherent words coming out of the blonde’s mouth as she crossed her arms. 

"It’s totally irrelevant…" 

"If you say so. Did you manage to finish your painting for Cat?"

"Yes, but I’m exhausted and I still have to finish my paper for the end of the week."

"You know you could ask Cat to give you less work, you can’t…"

"Jeopardize my studies, I know, Al’. Don’t worry, I’m fine. I just need a good night sleep."

"If you say so. Did you eat?"

"Of course, you know I can’t paint on an empty stomach!"

There was a chuckle coming from the older sister and she shook her head. 

"I know. I love you, Kar’, but it’s late and I was falling asleep before you came in."

"I’m sorry, but you really shouldn’t fall asleep in front of a movie, it’s going to fry your brain." 

Alex rolled her eyes and smashed her pillow against her sister’s face. 

"Get out!"


	2. The first strokes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara gets to know her subject better and Lena meets Cat Grant for an eventful dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! New chapter! I hope you'll like it!

It was a week later when Kara and Lena managed to meet again. Despite Lena taking most of her classes online she still had a very busy schedule and with Kara working most nights for Cat, it was a complicated match. Eventually they made it work, deciding that Wednesday would be their scheduled day. 

Kara was already at the studio when Lena arrived and she followed Kara’s instructions to immediately get to her studio when she arrived since Winn wouldn’t be here to direct her this time. She went through the door, walking down the hallway when she heard a voice that wasn’t Kara’s coming from the room. She stopped in front of the open door, seeing Cat Grant and Kara looking at a painting. 

"Is there something else striking you?"

She heard the younger woman hum and saw her frown as she tilted her head. 

"The proportions are off on the background, but it’s nothing too bad. I think with a few lessons he could correct this. But…"

Kara seemed to hesitate for a second and Cat raised an eyebrow as if telling her to go to the end of her idea. 

"Go on, Keira, I don’t have all day."

Lena flinched a little at the wrong name and the harsh tone but she was under the impression that it was just Cat Grant being herself. 

"He missed the focus. He should have put it on the lady on the right, he missed the point of the event."

Cat nodded sharply, a discreet smile on her lips. 

"Good, you know what you have to do then." 

Kara sighed as Cat turned around, noticing Lena for the first time. She blushed slightly at getting caught eavesdropping.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt."

"Quite alright. You must be Lena Luthor?"

Lena confirmed with a nod, struggling to stay still under Cat’s gaze. There was a soft hum from Cat before she walked past the brunette. 

"Good job today, Kara." 

Lena entered the room, closing behind her at Kara’s demand. 

"Hi, sorry to keep you waiting. The next issue of Cat’s magazine is coming out soon and we still haven’t finished selecting the pieces that we want to display."

"You must be very good for Cat to seek your opinion."

Kara shook her head slowly and invited Lena to sit. 

"She had already made her choice, she just teaches me how to do the same."

"I’m pretty sure Miss Grant wouldn’t spend time teaching you if she didn’t think you had something valuable to bring."

The blonde chuckled and put her sketchbook in front of her with a pencil. 

"You sound like my sister… Alright, before we start, do you want something to drink?"

"I wouldn’t be opposed to a cup of tea."

Lena followed Kara to the room right next door. It was a very modern kitchen in white and light blue tones. It was fully equipped and Lena wondered if Cat ever went home with a kitchen like that. She chose a cinnamon tea and Kara made a teapot with it, putting it on a tray with two cups and a pack of cookies. 

"Sorry, I get hungry when I work."

"Cookies and tea are a very good mix, I can’t blame you."

They went back to the studio, the door closed once more and Lena took the time to look at the painting that Kara and Cat were analyzing earlier. It was beautiful, and though she could see that the proportions were off now that she had heard Kara mention it, it was almost imperceptible. For the rest, it seemed like a painting of a manifestation that looked beautiful and very striking, she didn’t see how the focus was off. The manifestants were in the center of the piece and it was evident that it was about the walk that happened for the death of the black kid by the police a few weeks earlier… 

Kara followed her look and smiled sadly at Lena. 

"This painting is not good enough for the magazine, I have to call the artist to tell him. I hate doing that…"

"Shouldn’t Miss Grant be the one doing that?"

"Believe me, it would be much worse for the artist if it was Cat. She doesn’t have the patience to explain to them the reasons of the refusal or even how to get better."

Lena believed her, Catherine Grant was known for being strict, demanding and not into sugarcoating things. 

"Though I can see you didn’t understand my last remark, did you?"

The brunette took her eyes from the painting to look at Kara who arbored a small smile. 

"Wasn’t the focus supposed to be on the manifestants?" 

"It would be the obvious choice, isn’t it? But the painter missed the fact that the sister of the victim was in the manifestation. She isn’t in the center of it because she isn’t a strong voice in front of the cameras, but she is the one that initiated it. If he had done his research he would have known."

"And you knew all that even if you weren’t the one working on it?"

"I’m Cat Grant’s apprentice, if I don’t know what happens in the world I would be doing something wrong, I think. And she makes me cover at least three pieces of the magazine per month."

Lena took a sip of her tea, an eyebrow slightly raised. 

"That seems like a lot of work."

"Totally worth it, believe me!"

Kara swallowed a cookie at an alarming pace before opening her notebook and her sketchbook. 

"Anyway, let’s get started!"

"What’s the plan for today?"

"I need to test your skin’s reaction to the paint, if that’s okay with you?

"Would be a shame to spend twenty hours together if you couldn’t even paint me in the end, wouldn’t it?"

Kara shrugged at that, bringing a case full of paint from the other side of the table to her. 

"I wouldn’t mind either way."

Lena didn’t answer, she just hid in her cup, bringing a cookie to her lips with it. She watched as Kara laid down several brushes and colors in front of her. 

"Okay, I’m going to put some paint on your forearm. It’s a special paint, easily washable and delicate for the skin. I’m just going to clean the skin and then put two types of paint on it, there’s the simple color based paint and the shiny paint. Do you have any skin condition I should be aware of?"

"I just mark very easily so don’t punch me."

Kara snorted as she took out a piece of gauze from a sterile box and put some hydrogen peroxide on it. Lena took off her jacket and undid the buttons of her blouse’s sleeve to roll it up. She held it out in front of Kara, shivering at the coldness of Kara’s fingers when they touched her skin. 

"Alright, it might be a little cold."

She rubbed the inside of Lena’s forearm with the gauze, a little frown on her face as she focused on her task.

"What’s your favorite color?"

The question was unexpected and it made Lena chuckle lightly. 

"Black?"

Kara looked at her and raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you asking me? Black isn’t a color, not really. Also I’m sure it’s not true."

Lena huffed, wanting to cross her arms but incapable of it since Kara was still holding her hand down. 

"Why ask if you’re not going to accept my answer?"

"I’ll accept an honest answer. Close you eyes."

"What?"

"Close your eyes, please."

Lena sighed and did as she was told. She didn’t really like to be told what to do but at the same time she was here to help Kara, it would be counterproductive not to listen to her. 

"What now?"

"Picture a color palette in your mind and tell me which one inspires you the most."

She felt a bit ridiculous but she let the colors dance in her mind, feeling Kara’s hand leaving hers, probably to grasp a brush or something. Most of the color didn’t wake anything in her and she was surprised when the black part of her mind scared her a bit, she pushed it aside quickly, imagining blue, red, yellow, purple… The moment the color passed, she felt at ease and a memory flashed in her mind. 

It was blurry and Lena couldn’t tell if it was real or a dream, but she felt warm and safe. The only thing she could see was a purple stone on a necklace, she was in someone’s arms, her mother’s arms. Everything was silent and colorless but this necklace… 

She was shaken out of it by the feel of a wet brush against her skin. She opened her eyes, seeing a soft smile on Kara’s lips. she looked down and noticed a large purple trait on her skin. She opened her mouth to talk but the only thing that came out was a nervous laugh. 

"How did you know?"

Kara shrugged a little, applying a second layer of paint. 

"Lucky guess."

"I didn’t even know myself, how could you guess something I don’t even… Is this some mentalist trick?"

The blonde chuckled, taking a different brush to dip it in a glittery blue paint. 

"Not at all, I promise. You just seemed to like purple."

"It doesn’t make any sense…"

"I know right? It’s just something I can see in some people, don’t think too much of it."

Lena decided to drop it, focusing instead on the feeling of the paint on her skin. It felt cold and wet, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

"Does it feel okay?"

"Yeah, different from what I thought."

"Often the case. We need to let it sit for an hour, if it gets itchy you tell me, okay?"

"Sure, can I move?"

"Yup! The paint dries quickly so in five minutes you shouldn’t even have to worry about your clothes."

Lena nodded, finishing her cup of tea. Kara went to clean her brushed quickly, humming a song softly. 

"So, want to tell me why purple?"

"I have this old memory of being held by my mother and the only thing I can remember clearly from that time is the necklace she wore. It was a purple stone shaped like a drop of water… Probably an amethyst now that I think of it."

"Very religious stone, it was used for the pastoral ring if I remember correctly."

Lena couldn’t help but laugh at the random piece of knowledge, making Kara blush. 

"You’re full of surprise… So, what’s your favorite color?"

"To be honest it depends on my mood, but most days it’s red."

"Can I ask why?"

"Of course, I told you I would answer any question thrown my way. When I was little, my family lived on the coast. We had a huge estate with my parents, my aunts, my uncles and my little cousin, it was amazing to be so free all the time… Anyway, during summer we would all gather around a fire and eat all sort of sweets together. During sunset there was this red glow all over the estate, it was gorgeous."

Lena could hear the nostalgia in Kara’s voice and she guessed there was more to this story than what she said but she didn’t want to push it. She was learning small things about Kara and she realized that at the same time she was learning about herself. It felt good for once, to take the time to think about herself, about things she had taken for granted all her life but weren’t necessarily true. Black wasn’t her favorite color, it was the color she wore the most because Lillian had told her it looked good on her. She said it hid her curves and Lena had just learnt to accept it. 

She realized she hadn’t talked for a few seconds when Kara cleared her throat. 

"It’s a nice memory."

The blonde hummed, her fingers touching the paint on her arm delicately. 

"No itching?"

Lena chuckled as she checked the time. 

"It’s barely been ten minutes, Kara."

"Sorry, patience is not my strong suit…"

"And you decided to make a career out of art?"

"I think the art chose me more than the other way around, to be honest… Oh! I never asked you what you’re studying!"

"Officially I am doing a master degree in business and financial management. But I’m also studying computer sciences and robot engineering with MIT and since my mother insisted I’m finishing a business law degree."

Kara was looking at her with her mouth open wide and Lena knew why, she was clever and academically considered as a genius, it never failed to impress people when she gave them her pedigree. 

"How old are you?"

"I’m twenty one, but you know, I don’t do anything else beside studying so…"

Kara shook her head, stopping Lena from diminishing her accomplishments.

"It’s amazing, though I’m wondering… Wouldn’t it be easier to go to MIT and do the business master on the internet?"

"It would, but I didn’t feel like going to MIT where people might know me."

"Know you?"

"Do you know Lex Luthor?"

The name did sound familiar and she remembered it from one of the earlier front page she painted. 

"Oh yes, he’s this famous scientist, right?"

"He was, well still is, but he’s in prison now for tax evasion and for selling a product that cost hundreds of lives. He went to MIT, was brilliant and is now persona non grata since then."

It seemed to click in Kara’s mind because she frowned slightly, finishing her tea that had gotten cold in her cup.

"And since he’s your brother you think you would receive a bad treatment?"

"I don’t know about the bad treatment but I could do without the side eyes and whispering wherever I go."

"I see… Well, I think you would get along well with my sister! She’s studying bioengineering, she’s always trying to talk about science stuff with me but I’m afraid I can’t really participate."

Lena grabbed a cookie, it was almost seven and she was getting hungry. She heard her stomach grumble and blushed deeply. 

"Sorry about that, I usually have dinner early."

Kara took her phone out of her pocket and checked the time, grimacing when she noticed that it was dinner time. 

"Don’t worry about it. How do you feel about take out?"

"Oh you don’t have to, I can wait."

The blonde waved it off. 

"I was going to order anyway, Cat and I are working late today. Chinese?"

There was a soft smile on Lena’s lips and she acquiesced with her head. 

"Okay, don’t move, I’m going to ask Cat what she wants and then we’ll place the order together."

She started looking under her numerous papers until she found a red and yellow flyer. 

"Choose what you want, I’ll be right back!"

Lena looked through the menu, deciding on something simple that she was sure to like and waited for Kara by looking at the papers scattered across the table. There were several sketches of landscape and buildings and at least twenty portraits of different people. Some were of children, some of old people, she recognized Winn and Cat amongst it. Everything was beautiful, the realism of it all was striking and she could see Kara’s talent in each pencil trait. 

She got stuck on a particular drawing, one that was striking because it was so different from the other. It was a drawing of a large house ravaged by flames. There was no color on it but Lena could almost feel the heat coming from it and the despair depicted on the paper. Everything she had seen so far had been vibrant with positivity and beautiful in a poetic sense. But this drawing… It made her feel uneasy. 

She heard Kara come back and quickly put the drawing away, feeling a bit guilty for having looked through her things. 

"Hey, do you know what you want to eat?"

The smile on Kara’s face made her forget about the drawing for now. She nodded and chatted lightly with Kara as they waited for the food to arrive. Lena talked some more about her studies and listened as the blonde told her about a piece she was working on. Twenty minutes later, Kara asked Lena to come with her to get the food.

"We’re going to eat in Cat’s studio, is that okay with you?"

"Of course, I just hope she doesn’t hate me too much…"

Kara shook her head slowly, balancing the food on one arm to tip the delivery person. They closed the gallery and made their way to the hallway once again.

"Don’t worry about that, she’s scary but she is actually a real softie on the inside."

"You better not be calling me a softie, Keira."

Kara grimaced at the voice coming from the inside of the studio right across Kara’s. Lena opened the door for her with a raised eyebrow. 

"Of course not, Miss Grant, I wouldn’t dare."

Lena saw Cat Grant with her glasses on, looking over some layouts scattered on her desk. Just as Kara had told her, the studio was in perfect order, the easels were stacked in one corner and every painting furniture was organized and all the surfaces were clean. It was very different from Kara’s studio… 

She put the food down on the table, following Kara when she heard Cat sigh. 

"Sarcasm doesn’t suit you."

Kara chuckled, opening the take out bags and giving each one of them a pair of chopsticks. They all sat at the table, Kara digging in her food so quickly Lena was worried she would choke. The older woman must have noticed because she eased her worries. 

"She inhales her food like it’s going to disappear, and she eats thrice as much as any normal person."

Kara blushed and swallowed her food forcefully. 

"I’m hungry…"

Cat waved it off as she ate her own food with much more patience and classiness. Lena was very composed too, much like the older woman and Kara wondered which education she had received. 

"So… Lena Luthor. How’s your brother?"

Lena froze for a second and Kara gasped. 

"Miss Grant! You can’t just ask that!"

"Why not?"

"Because…"

Kara felt a hand on her arm and looked at Lena who was smiling softly. 

"It’s alright, Kara. I’m used to it. Still in prison, I don’t have much news to be honest." 

"I met him before all of this came down, he was a nice kid."

A dark chuckle escaped Lena’s throat and she put her food container down to grab her glass of water. 

"There’s no such thing as a nice Luthor."

Cat was about to answer but Kara beat her to it. 

"Well, there’s you, you’re not your brother."

The look on Lena’s face was a sad one and it broke Kara a little to see how she reacted. Lena didn’t say anything but apparently her face made it very much clear what she was thinking because Cat was having none of it.

"Oh enough of this."

Miss Grant’s voice was quiet but sharp and she didn’t let the chance to either youngster to talk before she continued. 

"I know your mother, had the displeasure to meet her, so I know where you’re coming from, but unless you want to end up like her you’ll have to push back. Because I don’t believe in fate and all this crap."

"Miss Grant…"

"Don’t interrupt me, Keira, you know better. Miss Luthor, you want people to stop whispering and wondering, you prove them wrong and you walk with your head high."

Lena tightened her fist, she knew the woman was right, but hearing it made her angry, she felt like a child being chastised but at the same time she understood the motherly intention behind the harsh words.

"I appreciate your trust, Miss Grant, but with all due respect, you know nothing of my story."

There was a scold coming from the older blonde and Kara tried to interrupt her again only to receive a hard glare from her mentor. 

"I look at a painting and I’m able to understand the feelings of someone I’ve never met, how well do you think I can read someone sitting in front of me?"

Lena was about to answer but the woman raised her hand to stop her. 

"Rhetorical question. I look at you and I don’t see an ounce of evil. Lack of self-confidence for sure, and a desperate need of affection, but the only thing dark in you is your family’s burden that you refuse to let go."

There were tears in her eyes, she wasn’t sure if it was from anger, sadness or because Cat had read through her so easily, but they threatened to spill and she wanted to run. She had almost forgotten that Kara was in the room and when she noticed her worried look, humiliation took over everything else. 

She stood, ready to leave when Cat gave her food box to Kara.

"It’s cold, go heat it up in the kitchen would you."

"But, Miss Grant…"

"Now, Kara."

There wasn’t any anger in her voice, only the softness that Kara had learnt to recognize as the one following a life lesson. Cat was asking her to leave them alone for a few minutes and the blonde couldn’t do anything else but accept. She exited the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Lena standing, looking anywhere but at Cat.

"Are you going to humiliate me even more now that there’s no public?"

Cat sighed. She walked around the table to stand right in front of Lena. 

"You know damn well I only spoke the truth."

"You didn’t have to say those things, especially not in front of Kara, she…"

"Understands way more that you think. You’re a smart kid who has been raised in a family who didn’t appreciate you for what you’re worth, there’s nothing that can be done about that. But it’s time you start to live your life as your own, because you deserve that."

The tears were now rolling down her cheeks and she hated herself for it. She didn’t cry, she was a Luthor, she was strong and proud. She didn’t need anyone… But in this instant, she felt more motherly love from a woman she had just met than she had ever gotten from Lillian and it was just a little too much for her. And then, Cat did something she wasn’t expecting. She wrapped her arms around her and hugged her, using the height advantage she got with her heels to burry Lena’s head in her neck. 

The brunette sobbed in her arms, something so uncharacteristic of her, she sobbed and hugged back the woman who had just thrown the ugly truth in her face. It didn’t last long, maybe two or three minutes, but it was liberating. When they separated, Cat had an apologetic smile on her face. 

"I’m sorry about this, I didn’t mean to jump on you during our first meeting. Kara and my son Carter keep telling me I should work on my tact."

"Would you really be Cat Grant if you were tactful?"

The woman smiled, shaking her head. 

"That’s what I keep telling them, but if I’m being honest, Kara’s right. I’m turning into a softie."

Lena didn’t really know how to answer so she just kept silent. Cat returned to her seat and Lena did the same. 

"I’m going to give you one last advice before Kara comes in because she’s definitely waiting behind that door to make sure I’m not assassinating you…" Cat lowered her voice, getting closer to Lena to make sure the spying girl could not hear. "If you’re honest with Kara I’m certain that you’ll get a lot from this experience, the both of you."

Once again, Lena didn’t know how to answer so she just nodded, getting back to her now almost cold food as she rubbed her eyes to wash off the remaining of her tears.

"You can come in, Kara."

The door opened and a sheepish looking Kara entered the room. 

"I wasn’t listening, I arrived in front of the door at the same time."

Cat snorted at that but took the box from Kara’s hands. The girl then sat back, looking at Lena with a smile. 

"You okay?"

"I am now."

And for the first time in a very long time, Lena actually believed the words. 

*

Twenty minutes later, Lena and Kara were back in her studio sitting in a position very similar to the were they were in more than an hour ago. 

"I think it’s time we take off the paint. Is it feeling weird in any way?"

Lena shook her head, passing her fingers slowly on the now dried paint. 

"I had forgotten about it, to be honest."

Kara took a special liquid container and a clean towel from a cabinet. 

"Cat Grant tends to have this effect on people."

Lena shivered at the cold liquid hitting her skin and smiled at the softness of Kara’s movements to take off the paint. 

"She’s… intense, I certainly wasn’t expecting so many feelings on a first meeting but… I think I needed to hear it."

"She’s very perceptive and she has this tendency to know exactly what to say to push your buttons."

"I’ve had worse, believe me…"

Yes, Lena had had worse in her life, from her mother, from the police, from people who didn’t even know her. The harsh words she was used to, the affection? Much less so. 

She noticed that the towel had left her arm, replaced by delicate hands examining her skin. 

"How does it look, doc?"

Kara chuckled, shaking her head as she rubbed the skin softly to warm it after the cold product. 

"I just want to be sure I’m not going to provoke a huge rash if I paint your skin."

"And I thank you for that, but everything seems fine to me, right?"

"Yup, it looks good. Next time I’ll paint your hands!"

A soft laugh escaped Lena, earning a bright smile from the painter. 

"I should let you go home now, it’s late."

"I won’t say no to that, I’m exhausted. I’ll see you next Wednesday?"

Kara once again accompanied her to the door where a taxi was waiting for her, curtesy of Cat Grand according to the blonde. She watched the brunette leave and closed the door behind her, jumping slightly at Cat’s presence behind her. 

"She is a nice girl, but she’s a work in progress."

Kara snorted at that. 

"Aren’t we all?"

Cat hummed as she walked to her studio with her student. 

"You’re getting way too clever, soon enough I won’t have anything left to teach you."

"We both know that’s not true."

Kara let a few seconds of silence pass before she spoke again. 

"You were hard on her."

"I know, I apologized. She doesn’t remember but I’ve met her when she was a child at one of the Luthor Charity Gala. She was five and there was already a brightness in her eyes that caught me off guard. You chose a very interesting subject for your assignment, I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Now go home, Kara, you deserve the night off."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully it was good enough that you enjoyed it! As always, sorry for the mistakes! In France the quarantine is coming to an end but please be careful! 
> 
> Xoxo, SCF :3


	3. Family truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara openly talk about the tragedies that hit their families...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I was supposed to post earlier, I'm sorry, I hope you'll like it!

The next Wednesday, Lena was a bit nervous to walk to the studio. She still had in mind Cat Grant’s words and had been thinking about them all week. Sam had noticed that she was off but she couldn’t bring herself to tell her about all of this yet, she liked that it was her thing and she had a place to go every week where there wasn’t anything expected of her apart from being herself. 

It was nice, and Kara was so kind to her, it really was a blessing even though the blonde seemed to be able to read her with a disconcerting facility. She entered the Gallery quietly, smiling at Winn as she walked to his counter. 

"Hi, Winn, is Kara in?"

He shook his head with a smile, checking the time on his phone. 

"You can wait in the kitchen if you want or just check out the Gallery, Kara mentioned you hadn’t had the chance yet?"

"I might just do that", she said with a smile. 

She started walking towards the first painting, one that she had seen several times when entering the hallway. It represented two children kicking a ball in the mud. She could feel the man’s eyes on her, curiosity emanating from him. 

"So, Winn, what are you doing working for Cat?"

He shrugged, leaning against the counter. 

"I’m technically the IT guy, I help Miss Grant with her website but it wasn’t enough to get me through college so she offered me to work here too. I spend my time studying to be honest, most people buy paintings during auctions or galas."

"Miss Grant offered you a job just to get you through college?"

The quirked eyebrow made the man chuckle and nod. 

"Yeah, she’s not so bad, but I think you know that already."

She hummed her agreement as she walked to another painting. She kept silent after that but apparently Winn had the same disease as Kara which meant he was incapable of keeping silent. 

"So… You’re Lena Luthor."

"Unless my whole life is a lie, then yes."

Winn chuckled nervously and took out an old edition of a science mag. 

"Could you… Tell me more about this article?"

She turned around, expecting another article on her brother, her mother or the family company but instead she found the article she had written on nano-technology when she was in last year of high-school. 

"What?"

Winn blushed intensely as he started to ramble away. 

"I’m sorry, I’ve been following your research for a long time and I just was wondering if maybe you…"

"Hey guys! Sorry I’m late!"

Kara bursted through the door, panting heavily with three bags in her arms. Both Winn and Lena answered cheerfully and the brunette looked apologetically at Winn. 

"I would love to talk about the article next time if you still want to."

"S-Sure! Thanks!"

Lena waved it off, following Kara who was advancing towards the hallway. 

"Told you she would be okay with it, Winn!"

He groaned at the teasing but Kara ignored him, focusing her attention on Lena instead. 

"Winn’s in IT, he has been bugging me to ask you about the article since the first time you came in."

"He’s nice, I definitely didn’t expect that."

They entered Kara’s studio who was much cleaner than it had been the previous week. 

"So, we’re painting your hands today! It’s gonna be fun!"

Lena chuckled at the excitement in the blonde voice. 

"You know that my skin is reacting well to the paint, why do you need to paint my hands?"

"I’m going to have to see how you react to the brushes and I kind of need to train, body painting is very different from canvas or drawing… Could you go and wash your hands please? I left the soap next to the sink."

The brunette did as told, gasping discreetly at the very cold water hitting her hands. She noticed that there wasn’t any way to regulate the temperature so made it fast, drying her hands thoroughly afterwards. 

"Is it the first time you’re painting on skin?"

"No, I painted on several people, but never for a big piece like I’d like to do on you."

"Big piece?"

Kara nodded, laying a towel on the table before taking out her brushes and paint. She even got a few new tubes of glitter from one of the bags she had arrived with. 

"Full body painting is difficult, especially on a woman’s body."

"Because of the curves?"

"Yes, the price to pay for being so beautiful I suppose. A full body piece takes hours to paint and it’s very demanding on the model, which is why I would like to get you used to the feeling of brushes and staying still for prolonged periods of time."

There was a low chuckle coming from the model, making the blonde frown. 

"What, did I say something funny?"

"Not at all, I just find it amazing how attentive you are with me. I suppose you’re like that with all of your models?"

"I wouldn’t be a very good artist if I wasn’t considerate with my models", she answered humbly, it really was common decency to be nice to your models.

"I suppose you’re right…"

Kara started diluting some paint with water and took Lena’s left hand in hers, placing it with the palm against the towel. 

"Alright, get into a comfortable position, you’ll be able to move but I’d rather you not cramp or something like that."

"Stop worrying about me, I’ll be fine."

She saw the blonde fight the urge to roll her eyes and smiled, bracing herself for the cold paint about to touch her skin. There was a small brush in Kara’s hand with white paint on it. 

"Can you put your other hand next to it, please? I want to try something."

Lena cooperated and watched with attention as Kara traced soft white line on her skin. It almost tickled but overall it was a nice sensation, like a soft caress just… wet. 

"So, what do you do outside of studying?"

"You’ve seen me cry and we’re still doing small talk?"

Kara shrugged, switching colors and brush to lay a blue base on Lena’s fingers. 

"I’m genuinely interested but if you want to talk about something else…"

"No, no, it’s fine. Sorry, I was joking. Like I said before, I don’t do much apart from hanging out with Sam, my best friend. But we spend most of our time at the library…"

"How did you meet?" 

"She was in my management class, we ended up on a project together last year, oddly she wasn’t put off by my cold exterior and she forced me to become friends."

The blonde chuckled, cleaning her brush as she switched to a darker shade of the color. Lena was looking at her with attention, amazed by the blending of the colors and trying to guess what would be the final design. 

"I see, it’s nice. Do you have someone, I mean, romantically you know."

Lena didn’t really understand why the blonde was blushing at the question but she smiled shyly.

"No, never met anyone who had the patience to date me, you know with my schedule and crazy family."

"It’s a shame."

"Well, you can fill in an application, I might hire you for the job."

Kara gasped as she looked up at Lena. She was smirking, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised. The blonde could see that Lena was taking great joy in teasing her. 

"I-Uh… It’s not… I would… It’s not that I don’t want that but…"

Lena’s second hand came on the painter’s forearm in a calming touch. 

"I was joking, Kara, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Kara shook her head, going back to her painting with a sigh. 

"You didn’t make me uncomfortable…"

"Then what’s with the stuttering and blushing?"

She groaned as the blush on her cheeks intensified. 

"I was just thinking that you shouldn’t ask anyone to date you, you barely know me after all."

It was Lena’s turn to blush, and she was glad that Kara was focused on her painting. She thought about Kara’s words and couldn’t help but note that she hadn’t asked just anyone. There was something about Kara, something reassuring, something… familiar. She felt safe around her and she started to understand Cat when she said that something could come out of all this. 

"Well, isn’t this about getting to know each other?"

They both chuckled at that, Lena starting to see something appear on her hand. 

"Are you painting… space?"

"Yeah, I need to work on my color gradation and it was a cool excuse to paint planets."

Lena snorted, grabbing a pot of glitter to examine it. 

"Do you think there’s life out there?"

"Would be very narrow-minded and egocentric if I didn’t. I mean, in all the planets, galaxies, that exist beyond ours, it’s not very surprising that other forms of life would appear and evolve like we did."

"Yeah, I agree. I think it’s humbling. Humans have this tendency to think they’re the most incredible species because they evolved to this point, but really, we’re just a grain of sand in something much much bigger than ourselves."

After that the conversation flowed easily and before they knew it, Lena’s hands were both painted in purple, blue and black shades. There were white dots scattered on it and on the side of each hand was half of a spirale, with white lines that gave it movement. 

"Bring them together?"

Lena did, positioning her hands like she had an hour earlier. The connection between the two completed the galaxy that Kara had painted and Lena could almost see it move against her skin. 

"It’s amazing, Kara!"

The blonde took out a camera that Lena hadn’t seen before, a small crinkle between her eyebrows. 

"It could be better… My gradation is okay but I think I could soften the lines a little bit more… And the paint cracked on the side, which I need to learn to correct because if your entire body is covered in cracked paint it’s not going to be pretty."

"Why does it crack?" 

"Not enough water, layer too thick… I mean, it was only your hands. If I end up painting your body fully it will take much longer and you’ll have to stretch. I need to work this out, but I still have time. The semester is still young…"

A soft hum came from Lena as she raised her hands to examine them. 

"It really is beautiful though…"

"Thank you. Do you mind if I take a picture? I want to discuss it with Cat."

"It’s your art, why would I mind?"

"It’s your hands?"

Lena let out a heartfelt laugh as she put her hands back on the now paint stained towel. 

"I better be beautiful on this picture."

Kara laughed back as she brought the camera close to the hands. 

"As if you could be anything but…"

The clicking sound of the camera hid the fact that Lena held her respiration for a second, taken by Kara’s words.

"Does it feel weird in any way?"

"Nuh-uh. Stop asking, I’ll tell you if it does at one point, okay? Trust me."

"I’m sorry, Cat told me I worry too much too…"

"You painted on her?" There was a tone of surprise in her voice, like the image of the bubbling Kara Danvers painting planet of Catherine Grant’s arm was not a conceivable reality.

"Only her arms. She wouldn’t let me paint more. I’ve never had the chance to paint something other than members…"

An angelic sound escaped Lena’s throat as she laughed. 

"So I will be your first?"

"I… uh… I suppose so. Only if you want to do it, because that will imply that I uh… touch you all over your body? You would still have underwear and something to cover your breasts but… You know, not everyone’s comfortable with that."

"I’m usually not, but I think… with you it will be okay."

***

The next day Lena spent her day looking at her hands, remembering Kara’s touch and seeing the colors on her skin like there were still here. Sam noticed, of course, she saw the absence of notes on her computer screen and the lack of focus at the library after school. 

"Alright, spill."

Her voice was a whisper, careful not to disturb anyone working around them but failing if the look from the guy next to them was anything to go by.

"I’m working, we’ll talk later."

Sam rolled her eyes and even if Lena wasn’t looking at her, she could totally see the determination in her stare. 

"Come on, we’re having a movie night at your place."

The younger woman looked up at that, an eyebrow raised. 

"Since it’s my apartment, shouldn’t I be the one to decide?"

Sam waved her off, quickly gathering her belongings and taking some of Lena’s too so she would have to follow her lead. 

"Semantics, there’s something different with you and I want to know about it. We haven’t spent time together in forever…"

"We see each other everyday."

"Don’t act like you don’t know what I mean. Come on, get up."

Lena let out an exaggeratedly loud sigh but did as she was told, putting her books in her bag and closing her computer. 

Ten minutes and a stop by the grocery store later they were standing in Lena’s apartment. It was simple enough, just a studio with a balcony but it was slightly too big for her. Being a Luthor never gave her this desire for expensive things or eccentricity. She took out a bottle of wine and the frozen pizzas they had bought. She put them in the oven and handed a glass for her friend. 

"So, will you tell me about what has gotten you all dreamy?"

Lena rolled her eyes, taking a sip of wine and humming at the taste she had grown to love in the last year. 

"Remember the ad for the body painting modeling?"

"Mh, the one that was supervised by Cat Grant, right?"

"Yeah, this one. I went."

An incredulous look appeared on Sam’s face. 

"Really? You… got naked and painted on?"

"No, not yet."

"Not yet? So you’re really going to?"

Lena hummed softly, her eyes checking on the pizza from afar. 

"Kara is really nice, it’s easy to trust her. And Cat Grant seems to really appreciate her work so…"

"You met Miss Grant?"

A snort escaped Lena as she recounted her first meeting with the woman. 

"That I did. She’s intense, but she’s nice."

She was grateful that Sam didn’t ask for more details as she continued. 

"Anyway, Kara’s project actually requires a lot of talking since she is supposed to paint my personality…"

"Awww, she’s going to paint my moody and self-loathing best friend."

Lena slapped her arm playfully before laughing along. 

"I’m not self-loathing…" Sam raised an eyebrow at her so she corrected herself, "I’m working on it, at least."

"Whatever you say. So, she’s nice and easy to trust, is she cute too?"

The blush on Lena’s face said it all. You would have to be blind not to notice that Kara was gorgeous and Sam saw right through her. 

"More than cute, then." 

"Shut up."

Lena stood up, walking to the oven to take the pizzas out. She put them on the table and refilled her glass. 

"So how many times did you go there?"

"Three times, we’re still learning to know each other. Though she painted my hands yesterday, wait a sec."

She took out her phone and showed it to Sam. 

"She’s talented, and now she’s seen your best asset."

Lena looked up curiously at Sam who was smirking. 

"What are you… Oh my god, are you talking about my fingers? You’re the worst!"

Sam bursted out laughing, devouring a piece of pizza while her friend blushed. 

"Can you blame me, though? According to your face she is hot and she’ll be close to your naked body pretty soon…"

"To paint, she’s an artist, she doesn’t see me like that. Stop that."

Sam raised her hands in surrender but there was still a slight smirk on her face. 

"Sorry, but you need to tell me more about her."

"I don’t see why, you can’t get your mind out of the gutter."

There was a shift in Lena’s voice, something a bit more serious, probably because she knew how adorable Kara was and knew she didn’t deserve to be objectified like that, or maybe because she started to value the tentative friendship blooming between them… 

"Hey Lee, I was joking okay. You’ll tell me when and if you want, it’s cool."

In moments like that, Lena remembered why she loved Sam so much. For all her teasing she was always so attentive to her feelings and not to rush her. 

"I’ll tell you all about her someday, don’t worry."

***

The next few weeks were less emotional and Kara kept painting her hands, sometimes her forearms too, and Lena loved every minutes of it. They talked, laughed, sometimes stayed silent for several minutes. It was never uncomfortable, they were getting very at ease around each other. 

There was one particular time where Lena had laughed so hard with Kara that she had started crying, they were talking about what they imagined their life would be as a grown-up when they were kids and Kara, always the dork, told her how she was certain she would turn into a dinosaur because she had touched a snake. She had imagined her life as a t-rex and even cried to her mother because her arms would be too small to eat pancakes. It was endearing, the way Kara talked about her childhood but as time passed, Lena wondered if there wasn’t more to it than what she said. 

It was two months after their first meeting that it came up. In between sessions, Lena and Kara spent time together, meeting for lunch from time to time or just grabbing a coffee on the way to the library. They learnt about each other that way and so hadn’t met in the studio in a couple of weeks but this particular week Kara wanted to try something new. 

Lena arrived at the studio a bit earlier than usual knowing that Kara would be here, she couldn’t wait to see what Kara would paint today and spend time with the girl she now considered a very close friend. She took a few minutes to chat with Winn even though he understood quickly that she was excited to see the blonde and let her through.

The brunette was almost humming in the hallway when she heard Cat’s voice coming from Kara’s studio. The door was open and Lena felt like she was intruding as soon as she understood the older woman’s words. 

"It’s the third one this month, you need to do something about it."

Kara’s voice was weak, slightly trembling when she answered. 

"I know, I just… I can’t help it. It’s that time of the year."

She heard the sigh coming from Miss Grant, it wasn’t frustrated or angry, more of a worried one. 

"You don’t have to work through it, I already told you that."

"But if I don’t then…"

She could almost see Cat nodding curtly, it was probably a conversation they already had several times before. 

"Have you tried talking to Lena about it?"

Lena winced when she heard her name, now she really felt like she was intruding. If Kara didn’t want to talk to her about something, as painful as it was, she would respect it. 

"What, why?"

"You and Miss Luthor are certainly close now, it might do you good to share this with her."

"I don’t… I don’t want to bother her with this. Even Alex can’t do anything about it…"

She heard Cat’s heels clicking on the floor and knew she was about to come out, she quickly hid in the kitchen, pretending to get a cup of tea. She didn’t hear the end of the conversation and felt guilty to wish she had heard more. She waited a few minutes before walking to Kara’s studio, hoping that she hadn’t noticed her roaming around the hallway. 

"Oh, Lena! I didn’t expect you so early."

There was a soft smile on her face, it didn’t quite reach her eyes and the sadness in her voice wasn’t totally gone yet. 

"My class ended early and I was excited to spend some time with you."

This managed to bring a real smile to her face that Lena mirrored in an instant. 

"I’m glad you’re here." 

She engulfed Lena in a hug, taking in the perfume that she found so comforting. When they separated with a smile, Kara took out a chair for Lena, inviting her to sit. The brunette took her time looking around the room, looking for any new work in progress since she hadn’t been here in a while. 

There was a canvas in the back of the room, facing away from the door. She walked curiously towards it, silently asking Kara if she could have a look at it. There seemed to be a second of hesitation in Kara’s eyes before she nodded slowly.   
What Lena saw was completely different from anything she had ever seen Kara paint. Well, it wasn’t completely true, she had seen this once, in the beginning of their… collaboration, a sketch on the table, something she remembered to be just as dark as what she was looking at. It was a house, a big house on fire. The vivid and bright colors shining through, Lena could almost feel the heat coming from it. There were some parts of the building falling appart and she felt the fear and despair it gave… She thought she noticed a silhouette at one of the window but before she could take a closer look at it she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

She jumped a little, not noticing how taken she had been by the painting. 

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you…"

Lena shook her head, a soft smile on her lips. 

"It’s fine… Kara, this painting… It’s so different from anything I’ve seen you paint."

"I know", she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "I hate it."

Lena turned away from the painting, looking at Kara in the eyes. 

"It’s breathtaking, so many emotions… I think… There was a sketch of this on the table the second time I came here." 

Kara nodded curtly, silently asking Lena to sit at the table. She did as told, knowing that there was a serious talk coming if the frown on the artist’s face was anything to go by. 

It took a few seconds, but Kara started talking, her voice soft and quiet, barely filling the silence. 

"I don’t know if you remember when I told you about the fire we made with my family, in our big estate?"

"I remember, you told me you lived with your parents, your aunts, your uncles and your little cousin I think?"

Kara nodded, a sad smile on her face as the memory filled her mind. 

"When I was thirteen years old there was a fire, a huge fire. Apparently it started in my parents’ kitchen. I was having a sleepover at my aunt and uncle’s house, with my little cousin. It started in the middle of the night, spread on the estate because of the corn… My mother ran to us, woke me up and gave me my little cousin. She told me to leave, that she had to wake the other so I did what she told me."

Lena put her hand on Kara’s, squeezing for comfort. She sighed, taking a deep breath before continuing her story. 

"I ran, waiting in the garden, Clark was screaming in my arms… It was hot, so hot, the fire… I waited, I waited so long… Firefighters came, they tried to take me away but I couldn’t move, no one else had come out. I stayed here, watching, until the fire went out, until a woman came to tell me that everyone was dead." 

There were tears on Kara’s cheeks and Lena understood that she probably didn’t tell the story often. 

"I’m so sorry, Kara…" 

"After that I got adopted by the Danvers and Clark got adopted by the Kent. We stayed in touch and are still close and the Danvers have been amazing with me, I got an amazing sister out of it…"

"Doesn’t make it easier…"

The blonde nodded, smiling shyly at Lena. 

"It really doesn’t… I’m sorry, I’m not usually that emotional over it but tomorrow is the anniversary of their deaths and…"

Lena was up in an instant, taking Kara into her arms quickly. She hugged her so tight that the blonde could barely breathe but she didn’t care. She sought comfort, warmth, she just wanted someone to get it, to understand what it’s like to watch the ones you love die in front of you. Someone that understood that there was no going better in the down moments, someone that just let you cry and scream and tell how unfair life can be… 

She put her arms around Lena, holding her close, the softness of her hair caressing her cheek as her floral scent filled her nose. She was overwhelmed by everything that was Lena, she wasn’t crying anymore because she couldn’t focus on her sadness and on the girl in her arms at the same time. They stayed like that for several minutes, until Kara let go of her friend, the sign that she was okay. 

Lena had a worried smile on her face and didn’t say anything as she went back to her seat. She was conscious that sharing something like that was hard, and if Kara had trusted her with this, then she would trust her with her story as well. 

"Can I… tell you a story too?"

Kara was drying her cheeks, blowing her nose when she looked at Lena with a tilt of her head. Even sad she looked adorable. 

"It’s about my mother." 

Kara nodded, a frown on her face as she readied herself to listen to another dark story about Lillian. She heard several of those in her time spent with Lena, she knew all about how hurtful Lillian had been with her daughter and how little she loved her, it always angered her and she guessed this time would not be different…

"I’m adopted too, you know."

The shock on Kara’s face was easily readable and it made Lena chuckle softly. 

"I arrived at the Luthor’s when I was four, I was born from an affair my father had in Ireland with my mother, my biological mother."

"So when you said you wanted to share a story about your mother…"

"Yes, I’m talking about my biological mother. My father left her to rebuild his relationship with Lillian when she was pregnant with me. We lived in a small cottage in Ireland and we were very happy. She used to sing to me in Irish all the time… I can’t remember her face but I remember the softness of her voice and her perfume, it always made me feel safe."

She chuckled bitterly, staring at the now cold tea in front of her. 

"We were so happy… One day she took me to a small lake, we were supposed to have a nice picnic… We were alone, I was playing under a large tree and my mother went for a swim. I didn’t pay her any mind really, until I heard her scream."

She felt Kara mirror her actions from earlier when a hand held hers, its warmth spreading in her whole body. When Lena continued, her voice was barely above a whisper, some small part of her brain told her that once she got that part of the story out, she would lose Kara. But she owed it to Kara to tell her the truth and it might actually help to finally tell it to someone.

"I did nothing. I watched her drown, I didn’t scream, I didn’t cry, I simply looked at her. I looked at her body disappearing under the water and stayed there, waiting for her to come out until someone found me."

"Lena…" 

Kara didn’t want to hear Lena say she was a terrible person because it wasn’t true, she wanted to tell her how good she was and how everything that happened when she was four, when she didn’t understand anything at all. 

"I watched my mother die, Kara… I just… What kind of child doesn’t get distressed when her parent is in danger?"

The laugh that escaped Lena’s throat was wet and angry, she hated herself and Kara could feel all the self-loath in her. She knew there was nothing she could do right now to change that so she did what she knew best.

She stood and took out another canvas, putting it on an easel next to hers. Lena watched her, incomprehension written all over her face as the blonde put paint on her palette. She then came to Lena, taking her hand and making her stand in front of the blank canvas. 

"Kara, what are you doing?"

The blush coloring her cheeks made her answer even cuter than it was and Lena found herself smiling at the words. 

"Paint with me?"

The incredulous look on the brunette’s face must have told her she wasn’t very open to the idea. 

"Come on, Lena, please?"

The woman sighed, taking the brush Kara was handing her. 

"I don’t even know how to do this…"

"You take the brush, dip it in the paint and then you color the canvas?"

Lena rolled her eyes, dipping her brush in the purple, making Kara smile softly. 

"Don’t be a smartass. I’m not an artist, I can’t even draw a tree…"

The chuckle coming from Kara made her pout as she dropped the brush on the palette, ready to leave. 

"You don’t need to know how to draw, it’s about exteriorizing. I’ll paint with you, let’s just… make a mess?"

Lena stared at Kara for a few seconds, not even blinking, and took the brush in her hand again. It earned an excited squeal from Kara who grabbed a brush too, dipping it in orange. She started by a few soft strokes on the left side of the canvas, Lena watching her with attention. 

"You can’t just stare at me, you’re supposed to paint too." 

She nodded quietly, taking her brush and imitating Kara. Her strokes were messier, less precise, she was a bit embarrassed because she knew how good Kara was compared to her but the blonde didn’t seem to be phased by it. She was smiling, humming softly as she dipped her brush in blue paint, not even taking the time to wash it in between. 

Lena still had her mother in mind, she still remembered that she was a monster, she knew that she didn’t deserve Kara, she didn’t deserve to smile, and laugh, to be happy when she let the only person that had ever loved her unconditionally die in front of her eyes. But seeing Kara not caring and just doing her thing… Lena decided that she couldn’t let her down. So she did exactly as Kara had told, she made a mess. 

She put purple, blue, red, pink and green everywhere on the canvas. The colors turned brown from being mixed and soon she was playfully battling with Kara for the last empty spots on the canvas. She even dared to paint over Kara’s own colorful part, tracing a blue line across her pink square. The blonde faked a shocked gasp as she splattered yellow on Lena’s purple, making her raise an eyebrow at the challenge. 

"You’re going to pay for that…"

"What? But you’re the one who started it!"

The smirk on Lena’s face told her everything she needed to know, the Luthor was about to attack and she would not go down without a fight. She barely had time to think when she felt Lena’s brush against her cheek leaving a greenish mark. The brunette laughed at the surprise on her friend’s face, already convinced of her victory when Kara put the hand that wasn’t holding the palette in the paint. Unfortunately for her, Lena didn’t react quickly enough and Kara’s palm landed right on her face covering it in colors, purple, green, blue, yellow… Lena’s face looked like the prettiest rainbow Kara had ever seen and she cried in laughter at the cry her friend let out. 

"Oh my god… You just started a war with a Luthor and you are going to regret it."

Kara gulped, it was hot to see Lena being all evil and sure of herself and Kara decided to ignore that she was thinking that her friend was sexy. She tried to turn away to hide behind the table but Lena grabbed the palette in her hand, making sure the blonde was left without weapon. She smirked, dipping her left hand in the paint that was now so smudged there were no more distinct colors. 

Kara ran for her life, hiding behind the table, but the studio was small and with barely four steps Lena was behind her, her hand flying to Kara’s soft hair. The blond hair was now splattered in colors and Kara groaned, grabbing a tube of paint on the table and opening it. She quickly turned around, facing Lena with a smile. She pressed the tube, painting going straight to her neck and chest. She started laughing at the green splash on Lena’s shirt when her heel hit a canvas fallen on the ground. She tripped, feeling her body falling to the ground and knew she was in for a painful hit. 

Lena saw it, though, and grabbed Kara’s hand immediately, hoping to hold her back but just ending up being dragged down with the girl. She could have let go of her hand and kept her dignity, but she wanted to fall with Kara, with a smile she accepted her fate, letting go of the palette as she quickly put her hand behind the blonde’s head right before it hit the ground. The shock was loud and violent but not really painful except for the hand protecting her friend’s head. 

It was different for Kara. She groaned as her butt hit the ground, holding Lena close as if she would prevent her from falling. She felt the brunette’s weight on her body, their legs tangling on the floor and their joined hands next to her head. Their chests were flushed and Kara felt the air being knocked out of her lungs for a few seconds. She wasn’t sure if it was from the choc or from Lena’s green eyes boring into hers with intense worry. 

"Kara, are you okay?"

Air filled her lungs again as she managed to smile, then laugh at the situation. Lena couldn’t help but follow, paint on both of their faces, hair and clothes while they were lying on the ground. The brunette rolled next to Kara, her head buried in the crook of her neck while Kara held her close, she took her hand from behind Kara’s head to throw her arm around her waist, the two of them still laughing. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until the laughter died down and their tears dried. The studio was a mess and Lena was glad that the window wasn’t see through because she didn’t want anyone to be a part of their moment. Together, like that, lying on the ground, Lena felt closer to Kara than ever. Her growing affection for the blonde was seconds away from bursting out of her chest and she was on a cloud of happiness. 

It was crazy really, how they managed to go from a very emotional discussion to this joyful game and it was all thanks to Kara. She felt fingers softly tracing patterns on her clothed forearm and smiled, settling deeper into her friend’s arms. The hard floor was hurting her side and she was certain that Kara wasn’t comfortable either but she didn’t want to get up. 

"You want to know something funny?"

Lena nodded, waiting for Kara to elaborate. She listened carefully to the soft voice coming from the girl holding her. 

"Cat told me to talk to you about my family, I think she knew you would understand…"

"Cat Grant certainly is a mystery. When we first met and you left for the kitchen she told me you would… see me, get me."

Kara chuckled, shaking her head at the thought of her mentor knowing everything, as always. 

"I swear that woman is a witch or something…"

A very un-lady like snort escaped Lena at the remark. 

"Don’t let her hear that."

She heard Kara groan when she laughed, worry settling on her face as she realized that Kara might be hurting more than she thought after her fall. She raised a little, looking closely at Kara’s face where a pain smile was in place. 

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just fell on my back, it’s nothing."

Lena sat up immediately, ignoring the disappointed pout from her friend and tried to get her to stand. 

"I’m fine, Lena. It’s nothing." 

But the girl was having none of that. She helped Kara to her feet and made her look away from her. 

"Where does it hurt?"

Kara held her breath when she felt Lena’s hand on her waist and the other one on the middle of her back. 

"Hum… Lower back, but it’s al-…"

She didn’t get to finish because a hand grazed her back right where it hurt and she hard to suppress a wince as to not worry the brunette. 

"Can I take a look?"

"S-Sure."

Kara was so glad she was facing away from Lena so her blushing face was hidden. Warm hands pulled lightly at her t-shirt, raising it so her lower back would be exposed, fingers traced something that Kara supposed was marked skin with delicateness until they pressed ever so lightly against it. She couldn’t hold it this time, she winced loud enough for Lena to hear it and make her frown. 

"You’re all red, you’re going to have a bruise…"

"Don’t worry, I’ve seen worse."

"I’m sorry, this is my fault…"

Lena’s voice was low, a whisper that Kara hoped she had heard wrong but knew perfectly well she didn’t. She turned around, facing Lena with a smile.

"Don’t be ridiculous, I’m the one who was running and tripped."

The determination in her eyes made Lena understand that she wouldn’t win this fight so she let it go, ordering for Kara to sit while she fetched some ice to ease the pain. They stayed in the studio for a while after that, Lena holding the ice pack on Kara’s back while they silently stared at the painting and the mess they had made. 

"How are you feeling?"

Lena chuckled at the question, taking away the ice pack as to not burn Kara. 

"Shouldn’t I be the one to ask that?"

"No I mean… After all of this, the conversation and all?"

The brunette shrugged, unsure of what she was feeling. 

"I don’t know… I guess it feels… Liberating to finally talk about it."

"You had never told anyone before?"

With a shake of her head she put Kara’s tee-shirt back in place. 

"It’s a heavy burden to bear alone."

"People look down on Luthors enough as it is, they don’t need to have confirmation that I’m a monster."

"You’re not, you were a child that didn’t understand what was happening. The Lena I know… She’s amazing. And don’t even try to argue on that."

"I won’t, but I don’t have to believe you."

The sad smile on Kara’s face almost made her regret her words but she didn’t want to lie to the blonde either… 

"I’ll keep telling you until you do."

Lena stayed silent, her eyes lost on the ugly canvas they had painted together. She was about to comment on it but Kara beat her to it. 

"I love it, we did a great job."

"No we didn’t, it looks like a five year-old did it."

"But we had fun, didn’t we?"

"I suppose we did, even if you got hurt."

"It’s a good memory, I’ll think about you each time I look at it."

"You’re an idiot."

Kara chuckled, nodding her head. 

"I would like to paint your legs", she said out of nowhere. Lena wasn’t expecting it and she snorted nervously at the thought of Kara touching her. "Only if you want to, of course, but the end of the semester is getting close and I… I want to know if you are ticklish or how you feel with me… You know…"

"Touching me in places only a lover should?"

Kara blushed hard, making Lena laugh.

"That’s… I mean… I told you I wanted to paint your whole body and it’s only if you’re okay with it, I don’t want to…"

A soft hand covered hers and Kara looked up at Lena. 

"I was kidding. I don’t mind, just maybe not today?"

Lena hadn’t shaved her legs in three days and she guessed it wouldn’t be the easiest thing when you try to paint the skin. 

"No, of course, I understand. It’s already late anyway and I have to clean the studio or Cat will say I paint like a child, again."

"I can help you with that, I don’t want you to hurt your back furthermore."

Kara saw that there was no negotiating this so she nodded. For the next hour they cleaned, Kara doing most of the cleaning that didn’t require for her to bend over while Lena took care of the floor. When they were done they were both exhausted and the only paint remaining was on their clothes and in their hair. They parted after that, with a hug and a promise to meet for leg painting the next week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought of this chapter in the box below! Stay safe! Xoxo!


	4. Love and paint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara get much much closer and Kara finally gets to finish her project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! I'm so very for the delay, I went to my mother's and ended up sleeping over so I didn't have my computer! I hope you'll like it, it's all coming to an end!

The next week arrived far too quickly for Lena’s taste. It’s not like she didn’t want to spend time with Kara, she really wanted to see her and talk to her, but she wasn’t sure how she would survive Kara touching her legs because with their little paint fight the week before, Lena had realized two things: first, she was physically attracted to Kara, being in her arms and getting to feel her stomach had made it very clear in her head that she was not left indifferent to the beauty that was Kara. The second thing was that she might or might not be developing more than friendly feelings for the girl. 

The realization dawned on her as she was talking to Sam about her paint fight with Kara, Sam had been joking on how they had bonded over being adopted and sad but Lena knew there had been more than that. They had understood each other on a deeper level, their was something about sharing your deepest fear and sadness… The flutter she got in her stomach when they talked about the blonde, the grin that couldn’t leave her face when she was mentioned… She was _screwed_. 

So, nervous she was, and she had a feeling that Kara was nervous too if the fiddling of her hands was anything to go by. The studio was set up differently that usual, the table was pushed against the wall and a masseuse table was in the center of the room. 

"Am I getting a massage, because I have this knot in my shoulders…"

Kara blushed a bit but smiled at Lena’s teasing. 

"If you behave while I paint you, I will think about it."

Lena chuckled, holding her jacket closer around her as the cold temperature hit her, the AC was on and she almost was cold. 

"I thought you would be more comfortable on this that on a table with a sheet and I will have easy access to your uh… body."

"Sounds good, how do you want me?"

Lena raised an eyebrow and Kara blushed at the double meaning of the sentence. 

"Are you okay with me painting all your legs up to your thighs?"

"Yes, of course, I don’t mind. So… Do I just take my pants off?"

Kara nodded shyly, turning around to give Lena some privacy which made her chuckle. 

"You’re going to see me almost naked anyway so you can look, you know?"

"I know, but I can still give you some privacy when you undress."

It would be a bit too much to tell Kara she wanted her to look so she just took her pants off without arguing, goosebumps all over her skin as the AC blowed cold air. She lied down on the table, telling Kara that she could look. Her shirt was stopping right under her underwear and she was wondering if Kara would need to paint higher than that or not. 

When Kara turned around and saw the expense of Lena’s legs she wanted to stare for the longest time and forget all about the paint. She wanted to run her hand on the skin that looked so soft but refrained herself from doing so. She noticed the goosebumps the moment she touched her leg to see where she would paint first. 

"You’re cold…"

There was a frown on Kara’s face and Lena chuckled. 

"A little, but don’t worry, I’m fine."

"I’m sorry, I need to put the AC on so the paint can sit… Wait, take this."

She handed her a university sweater that was still warm from being worn by the blonde. Lena accepted it with a smile, putting it on and getting swallowed by the vanilla scent that was so typically Kara.

"Thank you. So, what are you doing tonight?"

Kara smiled even brighter, a small flutter in her chest at seeing Lena in her clothes that she chose to ignore very vividly. 

"I was thinking something very simple, I don’t want to keep you for three hours so I’m just going to try and see if you have zones where I should keep it light or if you’re fine all over."

"Okay, I trust you."

After that Kara started painting, her smile disappeared progressively, in its place was a face full of concentration and it was fascinating to watch. Lena couldn’t take her eyes off Kara, she barely even registered the touch of the brush against her foot, it was a distant tickle and if it wasn’t for the natural reaction of her muscles, it could have been like nothing was happening. It’s only when Kara was done with the bottom of her leg that she got out of her trance. Kara’s hands on her thigh felt good, maybe too good, they were slightly cold and Lena knew she was shivering. She heard Kara’s apology and smiled at it. 

"Stop apologizing, Kara."

"It actually makes me want to apologize."

Lena chuckled, feeling the brush make a large movement on her skin. 

"Sorry, I made you move."

Kara hummed, smiling as she wiped her mistake away. 

"Don’t forget to tell me if you’re feeling sore, I…"

"Don’t worry about that, Kara, I promise I will tell you. It’s actually relaxing."

"You’re not used to that, are you?"

Lena seemed to think for a second before smiling shyly.

"I guess I’m not, it’s nice, not spending all my evenings studying, spending them with you."

"It really is nice, I’m glad we found each other."

Lena blushed at that and was glad Kara was so focused on her painting. They stayed silent after that, until Kara was done. Kara had painted until the edge of her underwear, making sure it didn’t touch the fabric and her touch had been so soft and careful it almost made her cry. Never had someone shown so much reverence when touching her and she briefly wondered what it would be like to make love to Kara, to give her the same worshipping. 

"Okay, you can sit down now, I hope you like it."

Lena did, stretching her neck as she did so. As soon as her eyes landed on her leg a large smile appeared on her face. Kara had painted a beautiful flower field. All the colors she could imagine were on her skin and it was absolutely stunning. The details were gorgeous and she had used her curves perfectly. 

"It’s absolutely gorgeous, Kara. The colors…" 

"Yeah? I thought you might like it."

"I see that you don’t have a problem anymore with paint cracking, it’s great."

Kara nodded, putting her pencils in the sink to let them sit in water. 

"All thanks to you, letting me use your body!"

Lena rolled her eyes at the choice of words. 

"Do you hear yourself? I swear sometimes I think you’re doing it on purpose…"

A deep blush appeared on the blondes cheek as she started stuttering to explain herself. Thankfully, Lena took pity on her and chuckled. 

"I’m kidding, it’s cute, don’t worry."

"Anyway! How did it feel?"

"Good, great even. I thought I would be ticklish but apparently not."

Kara laughed softly, putting her hand on her foot.

"You were a bit ticklish here, but I managed to paint on it nonetheless."

"Sorry…"

"It’s alright, I’m very ticklish too."

Lena stored the information for later, hoping she would have the occasion to test Kara’s reaction to tickles. 

"So, I think I might have an idea for the final design." 

"Oh, okay."

"You look… Disappointed?" 

Lena shrugged, blushing, she really was disappointed, she didn’t want all of this to end.

"I just hoped we had more time together, that’s all."

Lena was shocked by the honesty of her answer, she wasn’t sure she had planned on being so truthful but something in Kara’s eyes forced her to do so. Kara smiled softly, putting her hand in Lena’s. 

"Do you really think this is gonna stop after I’m done with my project?"

"Wasn’t that the original idea?"

Kara frowned, it’s not that she was hurt that Lena thought Kara would just leave her after her assignment, but she thought, maybe her friend knew better. 

"I thought I made it clear that we were friend now?"

"I know I… That’s not what I meant. I…"

"Then tell me what you meant."

There was no harshness in her voice, only genuine interest and pure kindness. 

"Listen I’m not… good with this kind of stuff. Communicating about feelings, it’s not much of a Luthor thing?" 

"Well, you’re much more than a Luthor so you’re good." 

The smile on Kara’s face was so bright, Lena couldn’t help but follow. 

"These moments we spend together, they are just for us, right? It feels special, it’s stupid, I know it’s your job and all, but since I’m the first with whom you did it, I just don’t want this sensation to end, I guess."

The blonde nodded, tilting her head on the side with a blush. 

"Do you like me?" 

Lena’s cheeks were so red she thought she might actually be turning into a tomato. 

"Wh-What? Where does that come from… I mean, I…"

She didn’t finish her sentence, Kara’s lips were on her, soft and full, kissing her with so much affection it made Lena want to cry. It took her exactly half a second to return the kiss, her right hand went to the tied up blond hair while the other held the Kara’s hand even tighter. In seconds, the kiss was deepened, they were touching everywhere, like they couldn’t get enough of each other. Tongues and teeth clashing together, moans filling the room, Lena wanted Kara to be close to her and she made it known by pulling Kara on top of her on the massage table. 

As soon as Kara straddled the brunette she groaned, attacking her lips again, feeling curious hands under her shirt. She was about to do the same when Lena stopped her with a shy smile on her lips. 

"As much as I’m loving what’s happening… What if someone comes in?"

Kara barely registered the words as she looked at the girl underneath her. She was flushed, her pupils dilated and her hair was a mess. The sweatshirt she had given Lena had ridden up, showing some of her stomach and making her want to worship her even more. 

"Kara?"

"Mmmh?" 

Lena chuckled, placing a strand of blond hair behind her ear and cupped Kara’s cheek.

"We’re still at your studio?"

The blonde looked around her, seeing the paint, the canvas and only then registering that they were indeed one door away from her boss’ studio. 

"Oh… But I didn’t want to stop…"

It sounded almost like a whine, and the pout on her face almost made Lena throw caution to the wind but she really didn’t want to come face to face with Cat Grant while butt naked in her building. 

"How about a date, tomorrow night? We can go to the Christmas market, I heard it just opened."

Lena wondered sometimes if Kara wasn’t a cartoon character, she could swear she saw stars in her eyes at the mention of the market. 

"I would love that."

Lena sat up, her face inches from Kara’s since she was still straddling her, and kissed her softly and chastely. 

"Perfect then. Now maybe you could get down so I can wash the mess we made?"

Kara looked down at their joined legs, there was paint everywhere, on Kara’s pants, on her shirt and on the table. 

"Oops, I had forgotten about that."

Lena shook her head adoringly and patted the blonde on the thigh to make her move. She stood up after her, standing only in her underwear and the sweater Kara gave her. Kara just looked at her bare legs with fascination in her eyes and Lena smirked. 

"You know you’ve literally painted on it, right?"

"There’s a difference between seeing you as a canvas and actually seeing the art work."

Lena rolled her eyes with a smile. 

"That was cheesy, even for you."

"Was it?"

Kara put her arm around Lena’s waist and stole a kiss. 

"Sorry I was staring, you’re really beautiful."

Lena hid her blush by burying her head in the crook of the other girl’s neck. 

"You’re being ridiculous. Is there somewhere I can shower?"

"Yeah, in Cat’s studio. She probably already left, it’s movie night with Carter."

Lena nodded and grabbed her pants and the towel Kara was handing her. She followed the blonde in the studio across her own and lead her in the ensuite bathroom where they found Cat reapplying her make-up. 

"Oh, Miss Grant. I thought you already left…"

"Carter wanted to spend some time with a friend so I had more time to work. Nice to see you, Miss Luthor. Keira, I suggest you actually do some painting rather than smearing it all over your studio." 

Both girls blushed as they followed Cat’s gaze on Lena’s legs. There wasn’t much suspense as to what they were up too when the missing paint happened to be on Kara’s butt. 

"I’ll be on my way, behave girls."

Cat left right after, leaving the two girls alone with their giggles. 

"Well that was awkward."

"Hopefully she’ll never bring that up again… Okay so, I’ll leave you to it while I clean up the studio."

"Sure, I’ll be quick."

Kara turned around, ready to leave with a big smile on her face when Lena caught her hand, stopping her.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

Lena smiled, shrugging her shoulders. She wasn’t sure, but she knew she owed the happiness she felt recently to Kara, and for that she was grateful. Kara understood, she smiled back and left Lena to her shower. 

****

Lena came back in the studio twenty minutes later, having had trouble scrubbing the paint off and calming her nerves. She was glad Kara had kissed her, immensely, she had been wanting to do that almost since she met her, but Lena wasn’t really good at the whole relationship thing and she really didn’t want to screw things up with her friend. But one look at Kara’s cute dancing and singing while dancing and she knew everything would be alright, she could do this. 

"Hey, how was the shower?"

"Nice, I can’t believe Miss Grant has such an expensive shower in her studio."

"She likes her comfort, and she often pulls all-nighters so the shower in the morning is actually a matter of survival some days."

Lena nodded, not sure of what to do with herself. 

"I’m almost done but you don’t have to wait for me, if you’re tired I understand."

"No, it’s fine, your dancing is cute, I wouldn’t miss it for the world."

Kara blushed and groaned. 

"I really hoped you hadn’t seen that."

Lena laughed and thanked the world for putting Kara in her life, she couldn’t wait for their date and see Kara under all the Christmas lights. 

****

Lena had changed her outfit four times and Sam was getting impatient with her. 

"Lee, you are just going to the Christmas Market with Kara, who has seen you half naked already, it’s not like she needs any more… enticement."

The younger brunette rolled her eyes, applying the last touch of her make-up. 

"I really like her, I want to look nice…" 

There was a soft smile playing on her friend’s face as she watched her get ready. 

"Being happy looks good on you, you know."

"I wasn’t unhappy before…"

"Yes well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile so much, and we’ve been friends for two years." 

Lena chuckled, turning around to silently ask her opinion. 

"You look beautiful."

Her outfit was pretty simple, really, a pair of nicely fitted black jeans, high heels boots, a deep red blouse and her favorite blazer jacket that showed off her cleavage, but she felt comfortable in it and she had a feeling that Kara would like it. 

"Okay, I have to go, thanks for coming by."

"No problem, just tell me everything tomorrow."

****

"Alex, can I borrow your mascara, mine’s empty."

Alex nodded from the couch where she was watching a space documentary and though she was excited for her little sister’s date, the documentary was very interesting and she had already spent an hour calming her down and trying to convince her not to wear this ridiculous Christmas sweater (and had fail because "but Alex, it’s the Christmas market, I can’t not wear it!"). She saw Kara coming out of the bathroom when a knock was heard on the door. Pressing pause, she gave the thumbs up to her sister. 

The blonde opened the door with a bright smile to find Lena nervously waiting on the other side. She immediately took her in her arms, smelling her freshly applied perfume and her shampoo. Lena whispered a "hi" in the blond hair and slightly pulled away to kiss her softly. Kara sighed in the kiss until the sound of a throat clearing interrupted them. Both girls blushed and turned towards Alex. 

"Sorry. Alex, this is Lena, Lena, this is my sister Alex."

Alex seized the other girl up for a second before smiling. 

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Kara talks a lot about you."

Alex smirked and waved it off.

"Of course she does, I’m the best sister in the world."

"Whatever floats your boat" replied Kara sarcastically.

Alex rolled her eyes and smiled at her sister. 

"Alright, you two, don’t do anything I wouldn’t and Lena, have her home by midnight."

"Oh my god Alex, stop talking." A soft blush appeared on Kara’s face, making her sister chuckle.

Kara grabbed her scarf and her coat before closing the door in front of Alex. Lena and Kara were both left alone in the hallway. 

"I’m sorry about Alex, she likes to annoy me."

"It’s okay, she seems nice… Is that a Christmas sweater?"

Lena only just notice the absolutely atrocious sweater on Kara. It was red, with a Christmas tree on it and small bells at the extremity of each branch. 

"Yes! It’s my favorite, look…"

Kara pressed the star at the top and what Lena considered the worst music in the world started playing. Usually, Lena would find this ridiculous, probably even stupid, but seeing the smile on Kara’s face… It was actually cute. 

"You’re a dork."

Kara blushed, feeling self-conscious.

"I can still go and change if you’d prefer. Alex said I shouldn’t wear this on our first date because you would run off…"

"Don’t be ridiculous, you look perfect."

"Thanks, you look absolutely gorgeous, by the way." 

It was Lena’s turn to blush and Kara took her hand in hers and didn’t let it go from the evening. They had the best time, Kara eating way too much sweets and making disgusted face when she tasted the mulled wine. They both bought homemade Christmas decoration and Kara convinced Lena to wear a ridiculous Santa’s hat for the rest of the evening. The blonde sang along to Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer while Lena filmed discreetly and as they were about to call it a night, Lena started laughing. 

"What’s so funny?"

"We’re standing under mistletoe."

Kara looked above them and smiled. 

"Nice, I was waiting for a reason to smudge your ridiculously sexy lipstick."

Lena chuckled and leaned in, putting her arms around the blonde’s waist to bring her closer. Kara smiled against her lips, passing her fingers in the long dark hair. The kiss started sweet enough, but soon they both needed more. Kara broke the kiss when she felt Lena toying with the hem of her sweater. 

"Alright, there are children here."

"Sorry, I got carried away, you do look gorgeous tonight."

The blonde shook her head with a smile and pecked Lena on the lips. 

"We should probably head home, we’re almost past curfew."

A groan escaped Kara as she remembered her sister’s words. 

"I’m not a kid, I don’t have a curfew…"

Lena laughed softly and pulled Kara towards the car. It was hard not to kiss the pout away but she wasn’t sure she could stop if she kept kissing her. 

On the drive back Lena didn’t stop smiling, she was silent, content in listening to Kara singing along to Christmas songs. She realized how happy she was and how lucky she got, it was new, it was different and it certainly was something she had never thought she would have, but in the end, it was easy and beautiful. 

*****

After that the days passed quickly. Kara and Lena spent all their time together, game nights started with Winn, Sam and Alex, the five of them laughing and competing until the middle of the night while eating way too greasy. Lena still went to the studio after class, Kara’s assignment wasn’t done yet and they both learnt new things about the other. 

Kara grew bolder and bolder with her painting, which was not really a surprise because she got familiar with Lena’s body quickly. Nights spent in the brunette’s apartment learning her curves, where she was ticklish, which spot made her back arch and how to draw moans from her. Lena did as much, never getting enough of the toned body of her girlfriend, of her calling out her name from pleasure or frustration when she was feeling too playful for Kara’s liking. 

But their nights together weren’t only that, it was also long conversations when they couldn’t sleep that lasted until morning, or falling asleep early when they had both worked too long or too hard. Sometimes they just watched a movie and fell asleep on the couch, waking up with sore necks and backs, other times, when one had to get up early they stayed apart, falling asleep on the phone as if being appart was physically painful. 

It was perfect, Alex called them disgusting because they were so in love, Sam actually teased Alex about it, saying she was just jealous because she had no one to make out with after game nights which earned a deep blush and a stuttered retort. Lena had a life outside her studies, and Kara had found someone who understood her better than anyone. They got each other. 

So when the time came to actually paint Lena’s full body, the brunette told Kara that she didn’t want to see the design beforehand. She trusted her fully and was just excited to see the result. 

Kara laid her on the massage table, she carefully cleaned her body, preparing her colors and brushes, she kissed Lena while she arranged her hair and joked on having the prettiest canvas on Earth. 

"Okay, I’m going to start, I think it will last for about three hours if I stay focused. Tell me if you need to move at any point of if you start feeling too cold, or dizzy, or…"

"Kara, love, calm down. I will tell you if I don’t feel good, now get your pretty ass over here and start."

The blonde chuckled, shaking her head but dipping her brush in the paint. She had decided not to use airbrush at all, she only wanted precise strokes, only the best for her girlfriend. 

"For your arms and your legs I will need to put you in the final decor, so I’m going to start with your face and then I’ll take care of your body."

"I trust you, do your thing."

Kara pecked her lips again, softly but with enough passion to demonstrate her love for Lena. 

"What was that for?"

"Won’t be able to do it for a while," Kara said with a shrug and Lena smiled at that. 

Kara got to work, tracing a soft line in the middle of Lena’s face, painting her closed eyelids, her nose, her mouth. She delicately redid the lines of her face, switching colors through the process and keeping her entire focus in making her girlfriend beautiful. She spent an hour on it, which was way more than what she had planned.

"It might take more than three hours… I’m sorry…"

After silently asking if she could talk, Lena told her it was okay so she kept going. Hours passed quickly while Kara made a great work of her body. Lena lost count of how many colors Kara seemed to have used, she sometimes forgot to breathe when Kara was close to her chest, or working on the panties she had given her for the occasion. She felt like the artist had spent a lot of time on her chest and was curious to see the end result. 

At one point, the softness of the brushes against her skin and the mere presence of her girlfriend relaxed her so much that she dozed off and only woke up when Kara’s voice softly asked her to. 

"Hi babe, did you sleep well?"

Lena groaned, almost forgetting she was covered in paint in her need to stretch.

"Actually I did, it’s all very soothing."

"So I noticed."

Kara pushed her brushes aside and held her hand out for Lena to take. 

"You’ll be able to stretch if you want to, we’re going to move to the last part."

Lena carefully sat up, afraid she would mess up all the hard work Kara had done. 

"Don’t worry beautiful, the paint is dry and I can fix it if you smudge some parts. Do you want to see what I’ve done so far?"

With a shake of her head Lena stretched with her arms above her head.

"I want to see when it’s all done."

"Okay then, we’re moving to Cat’s studio where I’ve prepared the decor." 

Lena chuckled, imagining Cat’s face when hurricane Kara invaded her space and what she would say when she’d see in what state the blonde had left her studio in. She was about to tell Kara as much but found herself at loss for words when she discovered what exactly her girlfriend had prepared. It was a flower bed, literally. Flowers of every colors and shapes were put on a large table with just enough space in the middle to accommodate a body. 

Kara was watching Lena’s reaction from the corner of her eye while she put her paint down, she hoped it wasn’t too much but she was certain it would complete her vision perfectly. 

"Do you… Do you like it?"

Her voice was stuck and Lena had trouble answering the question. 

"Kara… This is gorgeous."

A small smile formed on the painter’s lips and she took her girlfriend’s hand in hers, leading her to the table where she asked her to lie down. She took both her hands and joined them above Lena’s head making her smirk.

"My, my, Miss Danvers, I didn’t know you so controlling."

A blush appeared on her face as she scoffed. 

"Be nice, or I’m never touching you again."

"As if you could keep your hands off me." 

Kara chuckled at that and asked Lena to put her legs in the most comfortable position. She then proceeded in arranging flowers and started to paint again. Her idea was to make Lena disappear in the flower bed so she painted as realistically as she could and was pretty proud of the end result. She had been painting for five hours, which meant Lena had been immobile for just as long and she promised herself she would take her to the nicest restaurant to make up for it. 

She added the finishing touches, correcting the few things that had moved or smudged and with one last look over she sighed and put her brushes down. 

"I’m done… I can’t believe I’m done… Oh my god… Five hours, I’ve been so slow and you’ve hold on like a champ. Thank you so much!"

Lena chuckled lightly, careful not to move anything. 

"How about you take your picture so I can see how beautiful you made me?"

"Your beauty has nothing to do with me, and you know that," Kara said as she moved to grab the remote. They had installed a very complex system so that Kara could change the lighting and the position of the camera that was hanging from the ceiling. The picture had to be perfect, absolutely perfect so all the details would be visible. 

It took fifteen more minutes but eventually the perfect picture was taken, and Lena was free to move. When she moved she felt her bones pop and she stretched her neck, arms and legs as much as she could. She wasn’t the most sporty person but even for her staying so long without moving was long. 

"Are you okay?"

A bright smile meant to reassure Kara made its way on Lena’s face. 

"Of course, love, but you owe me a good massage."

The blonde laughed as she went to put the pictures on the computer, waiting for Lena to put on the robe she had taken for her. 

"Okay, do you want to see?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Lena grabbed the hand Kara had extended and sat next to her lover, still covered in paint. Whatever she was about to say was lost when she saw the picture on the screen. She found it usually odd to see herself in pictures, she never really felt photogenic but it’s not really at herself that she was looking. It was a painting, and a gorgeous one. 

Her face had been divided in two parts, the left side was painted as a white mask, hard, cold but judging by the cracks in the middle of her face, it was starting to break, giving place to different colors that were easily recognizable as emotions. Blue for what she thought to be sadness, yellow for joy, red for passion… It was actually remarkable how true it was. Had Kara painted her face at the beginning of the year, the mask would have probably been whole, covering her face entirely. But she was changing, little by little, day after day, learning that feeling was okay and not a sign of weakness.

Her eyes went over her body that she barely recognized. It was clear that the central piece was the painting of her heart that Kara had chosen to represent realistically in its shape but instead of being red it was stitched with different colors, each of them then diffusing to the rest of her body. There was green, for her Irish blood and her birth mother, it was easy to guess with the shamrocks leaving a golden trail in the green path going down to her midsection. Then there was a purple patch going up her left arm in which Kara had painted all the things that brought her joy, there was space, planets and stars, and books, a fireplace that Lena recognized as the one she said she wanted in her future home, there was a piece of chess, her favorite, the Queen.

Her left side was painted in blue, supposed to represent her knowledges and intelligence, Kara had painted in silver a neurological map of a brain, it looked like a galaxy and almost faded with the space scattered in the purple, it was very well thought out and Lena had trouble to take it all in.  
On her right side, right next to the green, was orange, a color that Lena soon learnt was associated with brightness, kindness. Kara had once told her she reminded her of a gorgeous sunset, not quite as the one she remembered from the Zor-El estate, but a more hopeful one, soothing and calm. It was mixed with tones of yellow and faded in the last color painted on her body: red. 

Red, color of passion, of love, it was made of red roses and very well made hearts that seemed to burst from loving too much. Lena wasn’t sure she deserved this color for she had hated everything for so long… Angry at the world, at her family. But now she was loving, she had learnt with Sam, with Kara, with Alex and Winn. Even with Cat if she was being honest. It was recent, but Kara had painted who Lena was now, and she had to let her past go. 

This part of her showed as well, Kara had cleverly put black stains randomly on the different colors, sign that the Luthor’s shadow was still here, looming, but not taking over her. She was stronger, she was more than what her family made her, she was her own person and Kara had seen her. 

Overall, the colors made a rainbow which made her smile softly, that would have been an amazing way to come out to her family. The details got even greater when Lena noticed that the bottom of her legs and her forearms and hands disappeared in the flowers, not because Kara had covered them, but because she had painted such realistic flowers that it looked like they were trying to swallow the brunette. 

This made her realize something, for all the colors of flowers Kara had chosen, none of them were of the exact colors Kara had chosen to put on her body and Lena wondered why, she had understood everything else, but not this part. It must have showed on her face because Kara smiled softly, putting her hand on hers. 

"Intrigued?" 

"I… Understand everything, it’s all so clever, well thought and absolutely gorgeous but… the flowers?"

Kara nodded, looking over her work. 

"I wasn’t sure about it but in the end I couldn’t do without. It’s for when the world is trying to swallow you, to make you feel less than what you are. You are nothing like the rest of them, they are colorful but you, you have the prettiest colors, you outshine them, you’re vibrant… You are everything and you will never be less than that."

Lena didn’t answer, she couldn’t, there was nothing to say. Lena turned and planted her lips on Kara’s, her arms flying around her neck as she passionately conveyed her feelings with her kiss. Surprised, Kara took half a second before kissing her back but once she did it was with just as much vigor as her girlfriend. 

When they broke their kiss they were panting, the paint smudged on both their faces. Smiling, they let their foreheads touch while calming down, it was so easy to just be with the other. 

"You are one incredible person, Kara Danvers."

The smile never left Kara’s face as she shook her head. 

"Only the best for you," she said with a smirk. 

"I love you," Lena whispered, her eyes fixed on her girlfriend’s face. 

"I love you too, babe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, can't wait to post the last chapter on Wednesday! Take care y'all!


	5. Celebration and forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara finally hears what Cat thought about her project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this is it, this is the end of this story! Thank you for following it, I hope you enjoyed it! It wasn't much but it was fun to write! 
> 
> Enjoy the last chapter!

Cat Grant wasn’t known for being generous with her compliments, it was rather the opposite. She rarely congratulated anyone because she considered that people shouldn’t be applauded for doing their job. But she was also fair and ready to admit when someone exceeded her expectations and it was exactly what Kara Danvers had done. 

When she had first laid eyes on her paintings, Cat had discovered a universe drastically different from hers but she also had seen the great depths of the artist. Yes, everything was joyful, optimistic, but it was clearly the vision of someone who had known despair and chosen not to drown in it. She had immediately seen the potential and chosen to take the girl under her wing. 

She expected a lot from Kara’s assignment, more so than from any other student, so when she received the picture she was at loss for words. Not because it was the most beautiful painting she had seen, Kara had done better, and Cat had been with the greatest artists in the world; But because there was so much maturity in it, and so much love, it was showing Kara’s personality just as much as Lena’s. 

When the last class of the year came, Cat gave each student a paper with her comments on their work and their grade. She put a paper on Kara’s desk which the blonde was anxious to look at, what if she hadn’t done well and disappointed her mentor? She had taken a risk with body painting, and an even bigger one by painting her girlfriend… 

"Alright class, if anyone has questions you can come to me but you should know that most of you exceeded my expectations. I’m glad you took the assignment seriously."

Kara could hear the murmurs raising in the class as they commented on their grade and beamed at the compliment. Even she was a bit surprised by that but she just stared at her paper. Gathering up the courage, she finally turned it over and frowned at the absence of notes on it. There was only a red "A" at the top, with nothing else. 

"You should also know that a ‘B+’ in my class will open doors for you if you wish to get an internship or become an apprentice, if you have questions about that you can come to me during my office hours." 

They all nodded and waited for the class to be dismissed to gather their things and head out. The few that stayed to ask questions got quick answers and left, eager to enjoy the end of the year out in the sun. Kara was still stunned by her grade, not quite sure it was real. Cat Grand rarely gave the maximum grade, it only happened four or five times during her career, or so Cat had told her. 

She hadn’t moved when she noticed Cat leaning on her desk, a small smile on her lips. Kara raised her head, finally snapping out of her shock. 

"Surprised?" asked the older woman jokingly. 

Kara could only nod, swallowing a bit to mask her stunned silence. 

"It was a great painting."

"But… Miss Grant, you never give A’s. Is it…"

Cat rolled her eyes, interrupting her student before she could continue, "you better not ask me if you got this grade because you’re my apprentice, because I swear to God I’ll take your name off your studio this instant if so."

Kara chuckled lightly, glad that Cat was still Cat and now certain she didn’t have a concussion or something that would explain her grade. 

"I would never. But hum… You didn’t write anything under my grade?"

Cat waved her off, motioning for her to come closer to look at her computer screen. Kara did, leaving her stuff behind. Lena was on her screen, her dark hair mixed with the flowers and her gorgeous body on display despite the paint covering it. 

"I have some pointers about the painting in itself, your shading could have been darker on the hands and the feet, and I think you should have painted Miss Luthor’s chest while she was in position, because her breast rose, leaving the proportions slightly off."

Kara was frowning now, so many mistakes she had not noticed because she was lost in Lena, it was so unlike her, she felt almost disappointed in herself.

Cat noticed her student’s face but kept going, "but this is not what matters because this is not what we’re looking at when we see this. I know Miss Luthor so I knew what each colors meant, it was easy for me so I showed it to Carter." 

Cat stopped Kara’s protest with a raised finger, "yes, I promised not to show anyone but Carter hardly counts, as you know, and he has a very good eye for art."

Kara nodded, still silent as she waited for the end. 

"Carter is thirteen years old and he understood most of what you expressed about Miss Luthor. And then, he asked me if it was you who painted it and that’s when it hit me, I’m used to your work, I could recognize your paintings in thousands but if a kid can do it too… You managed to put your personality in it too, you found your style and this is what we’ve been working on this last two years."

"I… Found my style?" 

The short haired woman smiled, "yes, and a good one might I add. It’s an odd mix of your ridiculous optimism, the horrors of your past and the love and hope you have for life. There’s still work, but this is what made the difference between a B+ and an A. It’s so rare to find someone your age who’s already so mature in their style."

Kara was grinning, incapable of holding it inside. 

"I don’t know what to say, Miss Grant. This is all thanks to you, I’ve learnt a lot by your side."

"And I take full credit for you."

This earned a chuckle from Kara who seemed to hesitate to formulate her next question which made her mentor roll her eyes. 

"Get it out, Kara." 

"Can I hug you?"

Cat snorted, not expecting that but incapable of saying no to the bubbling blonde that was her apprentice. She opened her arms and made a little gesture with her hand, indicating that Kara was allowed to come closer. Kara smiled and hugged her mentor tight. It didn’t last long, because Cat wasn’t known for such display of affection apart from her son. 

"Alright, that’s enough mushiness for today, go and call Miss Luthor and your sister, I know you’re dying to do it. And take the evening off, you deserved it."

"Thank you, Miss Grant! See you tomorrow!" 

Kara gathered her things and fled, her phone already in her hand as she dialed Lena’s number. She couldn’t wait to take her in her arms and kiss her silly to thank her for everything. 

***

Lena was climbing the stairs leading to Kara’s apartment, a bag of Chinese take out in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. Kara had gotten the maximum grade with her painting and they were going to celebrate with Alex and Sam. It had been a while since they had gotten the four of them together, Kara had been very nervous about her project and Lena had been studying for her finals like crazy, barely sleeping at night. 

She hadn’t spent a night with her girlfriend in more than a week and she couldn’t be more excited. 

She knocked lightly on the door, slightly out of breath from taking the stairs. She smiled when Kara opened the door, welcoming her in her arms. 

"Good evening, darling."

Kara planted a soft kiss on her lips, sighing contently at the sensation. 

"I missed you", said Kara quietly. She stepped aside and let the brunette come inside, grabbing the take out from her hands to put it in the kitchen. Lena only then seemed to remember the flowers she had bought. 

"These are for you."

The blonde brought the flowers to her face and hummed at the nice smell of roses. 

"They are beautiful, thank you so much!"

Kara pecked Lena’s cheek before hunting for a vase to put the bouquet in. 

"It was the least I could do, you got the maximum grade with Catherine Grant, after all."

A mock pout appeared on the artist’s face. 

"What, you mean I have to get A’s for you to buy me flowers? And here I thought your love for me was enough…"

Lena chuckled at her girlfriend, ready to answer when they heard the elevator’s doors open. 

"That’s probably Alex, she was out running errands all day."

"Do you know when Sam is supposed to arrive?"

Kara shrugged, going to the door to open for her sister. 

"Alex said she would arrive roughly at the same time as her."

A frown made its way on Lena’s face, since when was Alex the expert on Sam’s schedule? She hadn’t realized they spent so much time together, but then again, she had been pretty absorbed in her relation with Kara. 

The blonde opened the door of the apartment, ready to welcome her sister with a hug but she stopped dead in her tracks. In front of her were Alex and Sam, faces red as tomatoes and so close it was obvious they had been kissing. 

Silenced by her surprise, it’s Sam who talked first, a small smile on her lips. 

"Hey Kara, congrats on your grade."

Lena walked to her side and saw the position the two girls were in. She understood immediately and merely smirked at her best friend who rolled her eyes. Lena put her hand on Kara’s lower back, bringing her back on Earth and kissing the side of her head. 

"You alright there?" 

Kara nodded, slightly blushing. She turned and looked at Lena with a small pout on her face. 

"Lena… They were kissing!"

Sam and Lena both bursted out laughing at the ridiculous scene. Kara sounded like a seven years old finding out what kissing was. Sam grabbed Alex’s hand and led her inside, ignoring Kara’s remark. Alex hadn’t explain herself but as she passed in front of Kara she grumbled "you could have knocked" which earned a scoff from her little sister. 

"I should have knocked before opening the door on the hallway? That’s stupid." 

Alex turned around, ready to answer something sassy to her sister but she found no malice on her face, just a big smile that reached her eyes. She wasn’t mad that she hadn’t told her before, she was just glad to see her sister happy. 

"You’re right, that’s stupid. Sorry Kar’."

Everyone in the room knew that she wasn’t apologizing for her remark but rather for keeping something from her sister to whom she usually told everything. The blonde walked to her and hugged her while Lena took Sam in the living room, catching up with her and purposefully avoiding the elephant in the room. 

After a few seconds Kara let go and looked over at the two other girls. 

"So, who’s hungry? Cause I am!"

Everyone laughed, settling in the couch while Kara and Alex brought the food. They spent the night talking and congratulating Kara on her work. They looked at the painting she had done, Lena and Kara both blushing because of how personal it was. Alex and Sam were both stunned by the work, quite impressed by the beauty and technique of it. Pride could be read all over the big sister’s face and it made Kara beam. 

They ended up watching a movie, Lena cuddled against Kara in the loveseat while Sam almost forced Alex to settle in her arms as well. Apparently the auburn-haired girl was still not completely comfortable with showing off her relationship in front of other people. But she gave up, sighing discreetly but contently when Sam’s arms held her and when she kissed the top of her head.

Kara smiled secretly at Lena who kissed her gently, rolling her eyes at her girlfriend. She was looking at the new couple like a teenager spying on her big sister… Which was kind of the case. She chuckled knowingly, making a mental note to make fun of Kara for that later and turned her attention to the movie. Soothed by Kara’s fingers drawing random patterns on her arm she closed her eyes, her head dropped on the muscular shoulder of the blonde and she fell asleep. 

*

Lena was woken up by Kara gently kissing her and tickling her side. She groggily hid her face in the blonde’s neck, not quite ready to emerge. 

"Hey beautiful, the girls have left, they’re going to Sam’s place. Should we move to the bedroom?"

Lena raised her head at that, a raised eyebrow and a pointed look thrown at Kara. 

"Are you trying to get me into your bed, Miss Danvers?"

Kara chuckled, helping the brunette up. 

"Always, you know that." 

Lena snorted, following Kara as she padded to the bedroom.

"Do you think it’s been going on for long, this thing between Alex and Sam?"

The brunette shrugged, taking off her sweater and throwing it in the corner of the room.

"Not sure, Sam didn’t mention anything to me, but I guess we would have seen it coming if we hadn’t kept to ourselves so much."

She was only wearing her pants and her bra when she felt arms snake around her waist and hands settle on her stomach.

"I guess we’ve been spending pretty much all our time together", she kissed lightly along Lena’s neck and felt hands joining hers. Lena hummed at the attention, leaning her head on the side to give more access to her lover. 

"They looked happy", added Lena breathily. Her prior tiredness was slowly drifting away under Kara’s lips. 

"They did, I’m happy for them."

"Mmh, me too", she turned around, now facing the taller woman, and put her arms around her neck. "Enough about them now, I’m more interested in you."

Kara laughed heartily at that and put her lips on Lena’s. She let her tongue run softly against her lips and moaned when she felt Lena open her mouth and join in the kiss. Kara’s hands went up her sides, caressing her skin reverently until they reached her breast. The touch was barely there, just enough to make Lena crave more and yet feel completely loved under the ministrations. Slowly but surely the blonde led her to the bed like she had planned at the end of the movie. They didn’t sleep much though, not until late in the night or early in the morning.

*****

Bonus: 

Three years had passed since Kara got her A. Everything had changed in her life but at the same time, it was all the same. Kara was still working for Cat but wasn’t her apprentice anymore, she was a painter for the magazine. She helped Cat choosing the pieces that would make it to the issue and also worked on two pieces a month to be published. She kept learning by her side and enjoyed going to work everyday.

She was sad the day Winn left the gallery, he was her best friend, but she couldn’t be more happy when he announced that he was leaving for L-Corp. Because yes, Lena had her own tech company that she opened thanks to her three degrees and two doctorates. It was still new and a lot of work but it was very promising, they already had two revolutionary products on the market that brought several millions to the company or as Lena called it, to her baby. 

Kara and Lena were still together, living in a house just outside National City. They had bought it after L-Corp’s first product went on the market. It was warm, not too big, with the fireplace Lena always dreamt of and with a big workshop divided between painting products and computer and robotic pieces. It was often that Lena and Kara worked together, each on their own things but always together. They rarely talked during these times but just being together was enough, more often than not, soft music was playing and after hours of being focused and working, Kara would grab Lena’s hand and dance with her until they were laughing and kissing softly...

It was Sunday, which meant that Kara and Lena would stay in bed, generally taking the time to explore each other’s body as if it were the first time, just like they just did. They were both lying naked, Kara holding Lena against her chest while she slowly ran her fingers against her side. Lena was breathing softly against her skin, content and happy, wishing they could stay like that forever. 

"Do you want to invite Alex and Sam over for dinner?"

Lena looked up at her lover, smiling softly as she brought one hand to tickle the side of her neck. 

"Sure, we haven’t seen them since our double date last week. Tonight?"

Kara hummed, kissing the dark hair. 

"Yes, I could make the salmon we bought on the grill."

"That would be nice," Lena nodded, happy with the familiarity of it all. "I have to clean the living room though."

Kara chuckled, holding tight on Lena to prevent her from moving.

"Later. Now I want to paint," Kara said with a smile.

"You can do that while I clean, can’t you?"

"Well, I wanted to paint on you? You know, it’s been three years since I did that…"

Lena chuckled, nodding her consent. 

"Do you want me to dress?"

Kara kissed her deeply, letting her go to put on panties and an old MIT tee-shirt that she kept stealing from Lena.

"Nope, you stay just like that, face down, I want it to be a surprise." 

*

Kara came back with her supplies, glad to find Lena lying face down, her naked body so beautiful in the large bed. She was sleepily enjoying the midday rays of sun filtering from the window, her skin glowing and peppered with beauty marks. 

She kissed Lena’s cheek, making her open her eyes. She straddled her lover’s body, massaging for a few minutes her shoulders and her back, earning a content moan from her. 

"Are you ready?"

Lena didn’t answer, not really, she just hummed and let herself enjoy Kara’s hands on her body. 

"It might be a bit cold, I need to clear the skin. Don’t forget to tell me if anything feels off, yeah?"

"Kara…" Lena groaned under her, feeling like she was a student all over again. It made the blonde chuckle as she slowly wiped her skin clean. 

She dipped her brush and started to work, she didn’t really have a clear idea of what she wanted to paint apart from the center piece but she took her time, enjoying making Lena squirm under her when she tickled her sides or the goosebumps forming on her skin when she rubbed her backside with her body. From time to time, Kara played with Lena, rubbing purposefully and taking the brush just to the edge of her lower body, where the sheet covered her. Moans escaped Lena’s throat at the treatment and she almost turned around to get Kara naked and writhing underneath her.

She held on though, patiently waiting the hour it took Kara to paint her back, curious to see what would be there. The blonde had taken her time, excited but wanting for the picture to be perfect. She worked on her shades, making sure each color popped and that everything was recognizable. She eventually put her brushes down, placing a light kiss at the back of Lena’s neck. 

"I’m going to take a picture now, can you wait a bit more?"

"Of course, love," Lena answered, a smile on her lips at how careful and attentional Kara was being. 

She felt the blonde get off her, grabbing her phone on the bedside table and snapping a picture. She immediately passed her phone to Lena who smiled lovingly at her. Looking at the picture she gasped. Her back was covered in black, blue and purple shades, dotted with white spots meant to represent stars. I was all gorgeous, of course, but what was really noticeable was the message written in white in the middle: "Marry me?". 

Feeling tears coming up, she turned around, not caring if paint ended up on their bed, she just wanted to see Kara. And she did. Kara was sitting on her heels at the foot of the bed, her legs slightly appart and her head cocked to the side. There was a big smile on her face, so bright and loving, everything that was Kara. In her paint covered hands was a small green velvet box, opened to reveal the most gorgeous ring Lena had ever seen. There was a small diamond in the middle but the beauty of the jewel lied in the amethysts framing the stone. Three on each side, reflecting the sunlight and hypnotizing Lena with their gorgeous purple color.

She hadn’t said anything yet, but Kara wasn’t worried, she knew Lena would say yes, so she let her take it in. She had actually planned to propose later, in a more romantic setting, maybe by the sea or in front of the fireplace Lena loved so much, but it felt right at this moment, it felt right when she was holding her girlfriend, when they talked about what to make for dinner, about cleaning the living-room. Lena felt right. 

It took her exactly a second to know how she wanted to propose, luckily she had bought the ring a while ago, she had found it while shopping for supplies and just knew that it was made for Lena, for the love of her life. 

"Kara… This is… The ring is so gorgeous, and the painting… And you, you are so incredibly perfect…"

Kara didn’t interrupt her, she just smiled even more brightly, her own eyes getting wet from happiness. 

"I love you so much, Kara. Of course I will marry you, I can’t imagine living a day without you." 

"And you’ll never have to," Kara whispered while taking the ring out of the box. She delicately took Lena’s left hand in hers, pushing the ring slowly on it. It fit perfectly. 

Lena looked at it for a few seconds, still shocked by it all before she threw herself at her new fiancée, making her fall back on the mattress with a soft thud. She lowered her head until her lips touched Kara’s. They both sighed into the kiss and Lena felt the blonde’s hands going up her legs and stoping at her hips, fingers slowly playing with her backside. It was only then that she remembered how naked she was and how overdressed Kara was despite only wearing a tee-shirt and panties. 

The kiss was soft and loving, Lena let her body fall slowly on Kara’s, looking deep into her blue eyes. They were shining with unshed tears and happiness. 

"I love you, Lena, you’re my world."

Lena kissed her again and the artist used the moment to roll them around, leaving a trail of galaxy paint on their sheets. They couldn’t care less as they lazily kissed, rolling around and laughing together at the mess they were doing. Kara knew that there was no one she would rather paint on, she had found her muse and Lena had found the person who understood her, who saw her. 

They hopped in the shower together, leaving paint on the walls, Kara laughing as she tried to steal the hot water and Lena tickling her side to retaliate. Looking back, Lena would probably judge the whole scene very cliché, but then again, there was nothing wrong with it, they were just being happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, take care of you, thank you again for reading, and please, feel free to hit me up on Tumblr! 
> 
> Xoxo, SCF :3

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I hope it was okay? There will be five chapters and I will post them four days apart I think because I still have to study for my exams and all that jazz! 
> 
> Please tell me what you thought of it and don't hesitate to reach me on Tumblr (SupercatFanatic or Xazera, whichever works best for you) if you wanna talk a little! 
> 
> If you can please respect social distancing and stay safe, lots of love,   
> SCF, xoxo !


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